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S u m m a r y B u d g e t 9
Summary Budget
OVERVIEW The FY13 Adopted Budget for the City of Boston totals
$2.47 billion, an increase of $71.8 million, or 3.0%, over
the FY12 budget. FY13 recurring revenue growth is
$101.8 million or 4.3%. The FY13 budget does not
include non-recurring revenue.
In FY13, property tax revenue continues to grow
steadily while local receipts and state aid are
gradually recovering with the improving economy.
State aid figures released with the House and Senate
budgets reflect increasing state aid revenues to the
City. The City’s net state aid (revenues minus state
assessments) will increase modestly after several
years of decrease as the state is expected to record its
third consecutive year of revenue growth.
After several years of using stabilization funds and
federal stimulus funds to plug budget gaps, the state
continues to wrestle with a structural budget deficit
currently projected at $1.4 billion for FY13. This gap
will need to be addressed through expenditure
reductions and/or revenue increases.
On the expenditure side, savings in health insurance
costs and the City’s appropriation to the Public Health
Commission (PHC) are offset by increases to schools,
the reserve for collective bargaining and fixed costs.
This Summary Budget section lays out the FY13
budget and discusses trends in each category of the
budget summary table on the following page. An
overview of the City’s revenues is followed by a
detailed look at personnel trends and a review of
major externally funded services. An all-funds budget
is also presented.
NET PROP. TAX LEVY 66.2%
STATE AID 16.3% FINES
2.6%OTHER REVENUE 9.0%
EXCISES 5.9%
FY13 Estimated Revenue
Figure 1
CITY DEPT41.3%
STATE ASSESS7.1%
DEBT SERVICE5.6%
PENSION5.5%
SCHOOLS34.8%
PHC2.7%
OTHER3.0%
FY13 Estimated Expenditures
Figure 2
1 0 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13Actual Actual Budget Budget
REVENUESProperty Tax Levy 1,475.93 1,541.92 1,614.03 1,675.10Overlay Reserve (35.73) (37.35) (38.66) (40.86)Excises 103.42 125.23 131.93 145.23Fines 70.67 65.34 64.44 65.14Interest on Investments 3.18 1.39 1.15 1.00Payments In Lieu of Taxes 34.94 35.50 40.26 42.84Urban Redevelopment Chapter 121A 66.59 70.30 58.36 61.20Misc. Department Revenue 64.48 138.99 49.29 52.59Licenses and Permits 30.56 39.89 33.75 39.48Penalties & Interest 7.96 9.19 7.76 8.81Available Funds 17.08 17.11 17.07 15.00State Aid 413.21 395.20 385.88 401.49Teachers Pension Reimbursement 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Total Recurring Revenue 2,252.29 2,402.71 2,365.24 2,467.01
Budgetary Fund Balance 45.00 27.00 30.00 0.00Non-Recurring Revenue 5.98 0.00 0.00 0.00
Total Revenues 2,303.27 2,429.71 2,395.24 2,467.01
EXPENDITURESCity Departments 1,006.00 1,018.32 1,017.16 1,019.09Public Health Commission 70.00 69.81 72.90 66.21School Department 817.83 821.38 831.47 857.83Reserve for Collective Bargaining 0.00 8.55 10.03 30.12Other Post Employment Benefits 20.00 35.00 35.00 40.00
Total Appropriations 1,913.83 1,953.06 1,966.56 2,013.25
Pensions 108.46 191.86 126.55 136.98Debt Service 125.50 126.66 135.64 137.55State Assessments 141.87 147.70 162.56 174.58Suffolk County 4.45 4.34 3.92 3.92Reserve 0.07 0.19 0.01 0.73
Total Fixed Costs 380.35 470.75 428.68 453.76
Total Expenditures 2,294.18 2,423.80 2,395.24 2,467.01
Surplus (Deficit) 9.09 5.91 0.00 0.00
NOTE: FY11 Misc. Department Revenue and Pension expenses contain a one-time extraordinary amount of $82.0 million.
Numbers may not add due to rounding
CITY OF BOSTONBUDGET SUMMARY
(Dollars in Millions)
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 1 1
The City’s projected revenues provide the basis for
planning FY13 appropriations and fixed costs to
maintain a balanced budget. Selected FY13 budgeted
City revenues compare with FY12 budgeted revenues
as follows: the net property tax levy increases $58.9
million or 3.7%; excises increase $13.3 million or
10.1%; fines increase by $0.7 million or 1.1%; interest
on investments decreases $0.2 million or 13.0%;
payments-in-lieu-of-taxes increase $2.6 million or
6.4%; Chapter 121A revenues increase $2.8 million or
4.9%, miscellaneous department revenues increase by
$3.3 million or 6.7%; and licenses and permits increase
by $5.7 million or 17.0%.
On the expenditure side of the budget, total
appropriations increase by $46.7 million or 2.4% and
fixed costs increase by $25.1 million or 5.9%.
Selected FY13 budgeted appropriations compare with
FY12 budgeted appropriations as follows: City
departments increase $1.9 million or 0.2%, the Boston
Public Health Commission decreases by $6.7 million or
9.2%, and the School Department increases $26.4
million or 3.2%.
FY13 budgeted fixed costs compare with FY12
budgeted fixed costs as follows: pensions increase
$10.4 million or 8.2%; debt service increases $1.9
million or 1.4%; and state assessments increase $12
million or 7.4%.
NOTE: The “Other” category on the FY13 Estimated
Expenditures pie chart (Figure 2) is comprised of
estimated expenditures for the collective bargaining
reserve, other post-employment benefits (OPEB),
Suffolk County, and a required reserve.
REVENUE The FY13 budget is balanced on the following
projections of revenue streams including the property
tax, state aid and other local receipts.
(Note: To ease comparison with other years, all
figures, text, and calculations referring to or including
FY11 departmental revenues will be stated without the
$82 million pension payment made in that year. In
addition, all years prior to FY10 will be stated net of
Teacher’s Pension Reimbursement. See the Financial Management and Statutes and Ordinances sections for
details of these issues).
Property Tax Levy The gross property tax levy has been the City’s most
dependable source of revenue growth during the past
twenty-nine years. Property tax levy growth is
fundamental to the financial health of the City since it
provides two-thirds of all recurring City revenue.
In each year since FY85, the City has increased its levy
by the 2.5% allowable under the limits set forth in
Proposition 2 ½. During these same years, the levy has
also been positively impacted by taxable new value or
“new growth” that is excluded from the levy limit. New
growth is expected to be approximately $20.0 million
in FY13. While not the case in FY13, property tax
growth from new growth has exceeded growth from
the allowable 2.5% increase in 18 of the last 29 years.
The combined effect of the allowable 2.5% increase
and new growth is an average annual gross levy
increase from FY02 through FY12 of $64.1 million or
5.1%, and a projected increase in FY13 of $61.1 million
or 3.8%. The gross property tax levy currently stands at
$1,614.0 million, and is estimated to rise to $1,675.1
million in FY13.
While the total tax levy has continually gone up,
property values in Boston have declined during the
recent tough years in the residential and commercial
real estate markets. FY10 and FY11 were only the first
and second declines in property values recorded in the
City since FY94. In the FY12 market indexed
revaluation as of January 1, 2011, values increased to
$88.5 billion, a $1.7 billion or 2.0% increase.
Given the recent declines in total property values, one
might expect a decrease in residential taxes. Between
FY02 and FY07 the average single-family property tax
increased with property values, rising nearly 78% to
$3,091. During the next two years, the tax fell as
values continued to rise and since it has regained its
$-
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Total Assessed Property Value & Average Single-Family Tax BillFY02 - FY12
Figure 3
1 2 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
upward momentum. In FY12, the average single-family
tax bill increased to $3,305, a 19.7% increase over FY09
(Figure 3).
The percentage of the total tax levy being borne by
residents increased from 36.2% to 38.7% between FY09
and FY12. This shift is due to the larger decrease in
commercial property values in the levy compared to
residential property values. At its lowest point, the
residential levy was 30% of the total levy (Figure 4).
A more detailed discussion of the property tax levy is
provided in the Revenue Estimates and Analysis
chapter of this volume.
STATE AID
The primary sources of aid from the state to
municipalities are education aid and unrestricted
general government aid. The Commonwealth also
distributes aid for libraries and provides some other
reimbursements to municipalities.
State aid has been reduced substantially over the
course of the last two recessions. Since FY02, net
state aid (defined as state aid revenues less MBTA,
charter school tuition, and other assessments) to the
City has been reduced by over $200 million. The City
lost approximately $79 million between FY02 and
FY05, gained approximately $16 million between FY06
and FY08, and has again lost approximately $142
million between FY09 and budgeted FY12 – averaging
a loss of over $35 million per year. The FY13 projection
of a minor increase of $3.6 million brings the total loss
since FY02 to $201.4 million or 47%.
The City’s FY13 state aid estimate is based on the
lower of each line-item in the House and Senate
budgets. A joint House and Senate Conference
Committee budget released in mid-June contains a
similar increase in state aid to the City’s budget
estimate. This Conference Committee budget has
moved to the Governor for any vetoes, which will be
followed by a return of the budget to the Legislature
for any veto overrides before becoming law in early
July.
Education Aid
The City received “Chapter 70” education aid totaling
$217.0 million in FY10, $204.3 million in FY11, and has
budgeted $205.4 million for FY12. The City estimates
a small increase to $207.9 million in FY13.
Current education aid is delivered in tandem with
state-mandated costs for charter schools. Charter
schools are publicly-funded schools administered
independently from local school committees and
teachers’ union rules and regulations. Their charters
are granted by the State Board of Education.
In the current year there are 5,749 Boston resident
students attending “Commonwealth” charter schools.
The City expects that number to rise to approximately
6,647 in FY13 with the addition of eight more charter
schools opening to Boston students. These added
schools are the result of legislation enacted in FY11
that increases the cap on charter schools in low
performing districts. The law also changes the
formula for reimbursement to sending districts for the
annual increase in total Charter School tuition
included in the state assessment.
The net cost to the City for charter schools
(reimbursement from the Commonwealth less tuition
assessment) was $51.0 million and $55.1 million in
FY10 and FY11, respectively. The City has budgeted a
$63.2 million net cost in FY12 and a $71.8 million net
cost in FY13 (see Figure 5). These figures include the
cost of a capital facilities charge that is 100%
reimbursed.
Unrestricted General Government Aid
Beginning in the FY10 budget and going forward, the
Governor and the Legislature combined general
government aid from lottery and “additional
assistance” into one account. The combined accounts
were reduced by $87.0 million or 37.0% of the total
between FY08 and FY12, excluding a one-time
supplemental appropriation from the Commonwealth
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Figure 4
Boston Property Tax TrendsFY03- FY12
Com., Ind. & Pers. Levy (L)Residential Levy (L)Avg Single-Family Tax Bill (R)
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 1 3
totaling $11.5 million received in FY12. The City
expects to receive $148.7 million in FY12 before a one-
time supplemental aid increase of $11.6 million. This
one-time supplemental is expected to become
permanent in FY13, thus raising the amount of this
type of aid to $160.2 million.
Below are explanations of the component revenues.
Lottery Aid
The expected amount of lottery revenue available to
be distributed to cities and towns as local aid has been
in excess of the actual amount available for the past
several years. This is due in part to slowing lottery
sales and optimistic estimates by state budget writers.
The difference has been made up with general state
revenues.
For several years during and after the 2001-2002
recession, the state diverted lottery proceeds meant
for cities and towns to the state’s general fund. The
City received $53.9 million in FY04 and FY05 and $60.5
million in FY06 as the state continued to divert growth
in lottery receipts away from cities and towns. In
FY07, the cap on lottery was fully eliminated instead of
a planned annual phase-out that would end in FY09.
This change increased the City’s FY07 lottery aid to
$70.6 million. The City received $71.6 million in
lottery aid in FY08 and $64.6 million in FY09 after a
mid-year reduction. ($71.6 million had been
budgeted.) As mentioned above, the FY10 state
budget combined lottery aid with additional assistance
into a new account entitled Unrestricted General
Government Aid.
Additional Assistance
The Additional Assistance account was part of a
“needs-based” aid package in the 1980’s. Each
municipality’s allocation was determined through a
formula that compared costs and revenues to
statewide averages. Additional Assistance has been
important to Boston in supporting schools, public
safety and other basic city services.
Additional Assistance had been level-funded since
FY94, with most local aid increases coming through
Chapter 70 education aid instead. Its purpose and
usefulness came into question during the FY03 state
budget process when the governor vetoed $31 million
from the statewide appropriation and the legislature
failed to override that veto. Subsequently, the
governor reduced additional assistance yet again in
January 2003 for a total decrease of $73 million. As
Boston received over 40% of the statewide distribution
of additional assistance, those reductions fell
disproportionately on the City.
The City received $175.1 million in additional
assistance in FY03 after the reductions in that year
and $164.2 million in FY04 after a further reduction.
The City received additional assistance between FY05
and FY08 that was level with FY04 amounts. The City
received $148.2 million in FY09 after a mid-year
reduction by the state.
As mentioned above, the FY10 state budget combined
Additional Assistance with Lottery Aid into a new
account entitled Unrestricted General Government
Aid.
A detailed discussion of state aid is provided in the
Revenue Estimates and Analysis chapter of this
volume. Below is a brief summary.
LOCAL RECEIPTS Approximately 17% of the City’s recurring revenue in
FY13 is comprised of excise taxes, fines, payments-in-
lieu-of-taxes (including Chapter 121A), investment
income, departmental revenue, licenses and permits,
penalties and interest, and available funds.
In FY10 the City collected $398.9 million from these
combined sources and $420.9 million in FY11
(excluding an $82 million one-time pension
payment).The FY12 Budget assumes a decrease to
$404.0 million and the FY13 budget assumes an
increase to $431.3 million (Figure 6). (See Revenue Estimates & Analysis section of Volume I for more
detail on this revenue source.)
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Charter Schools Boston Enrollment and Net Cost FY03- FY13
Figure 5
1 4 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
FY13 budgeted local receipts continue to benefit from
revenue that was, previous to FY12, dedicated to
support special obligation debt service for the Boston
Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC).
Additional room occupancy excise revenue and a
vehicle rental surcharge are now available to the
general fund to offset the debt which is now general
obligation.
Many of the City’s local receipts are extremely
sensitive to current economic conditions. Excises,
interest on investments, and license and permit
revenues of the City declined in FY10 as a result of the
recession. FY11 and FY12 assumed continued declines
or marginal growth in these revenues except for those
with tax rate or fee increases. The FY13 budget
assumes increases in all of the above categories except
interest earnings and available funds. What follows is
a brief description of selected local receipts, their
recent performance and expectations for the FY13
Adopted Budget.
• After a strong year in FY11, revenue from
motor vehicle is expected to decrease in
FY12 and gain modestly in FY13 as slowly
increasing demand drives sales along with
low interest rates and job growth.
• The Commonwealth granted municipalities
a new 0.75% local option tax on restaurant
meals beginning October 1, 2009. The City
adopted this tax and collected a partial year
of revenue in FY10. In FY11, the City
collected $20.2 million in meals tax. The
FY12 and FY13 budgets assume a small
decline and an increase to the FY11 level,
respectively.
• After several weak years due to economic
conditions, jet fuel and hotel revenues are
increasing based on increasing travel and
rising fuel prices. The hotel excise also
benefits from its FY10 rate increase from 4%
to 6% and the debt-related change
mentioned above. In addition, a vehicle
rental surcharge of $1 per vehicle rental
contract also moves to the general fund for
FY13 and forward.
• With near-zero federal funds rates, the
City’s investment earnings have plummeted,
even as cash balances have remained strong
in recent years. FY12 and FY13 earnings are
expected to remain very low.
• Voluntary payment-in-lieu-of-tax
agreements with non-profit institutions
(excluding the Massachusetts Port
Authority) are expected to increase in FY12
and FY13 based on the results of a taskforce
appointed by the Mayor which concluded its
work last year. This taskforce
recommended more standardization among
agreements as well as a higher ratio of
payment to property value than was in place
previously.
• License and permit revenues, driven by
building permits, have jumped considerably
as large commercial construction projects
have recently begun in earnest. Building
permit fees are expected to rebound in
FY13.
• Chapter 121A agreements are payments in
lieu of tax for property developed in
blighted areas. Those that qualify pay
different taxes on income and property as
determined under Chapter 121A of
Massachusetts General Law. 121A
payments in FY12 are expected to decline
due to a one-time payment received in FY11
from one large property in downtown
Boston as it moved to taxable status.
Inflationary growth is expected in the
remaining agreements for FY13.
The remaining sources of other revenue to the City are
set rates of fees, fines, penalties or interest. These
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Recurring Local Receipts(non-property tax/state aid) FY02 - FY13 (adj. for actual base hotel collections)FY12 forward includes base & new hotel tax
Figure 6
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 1 5
usually endure economic changes with small changes
in activity or revenue.
Non-Recurring Revenue The City appropriates funds from the Surplus Property
Disposition Fund on an as-needed basis for non-
recurring expenditures.
In FY12 and FY13, the City will not appropriate from
the fund.
Budgetary Fund Balance Fund Balance can be appropriated for use during the
fiscal year. Budgetary fund balance, more commonly
referred to as “free cash,” is described as the portion of
available reserves, generated to a considerable degree
by annual operating surpluses, which the City can
responsibly appropriate for spending. The law
governing the calculation and availability of budgetary
fund balance for cities and towns is Chapter 59,
section 23 of Massachusetts General Law and is
administered by the Massachusetts Department of
Revenue. The FY13 Budget assumes no use of
budgetary fund balance and unlike prior years uses
recurring revenue to fund the appropriation for other
post-employment benefits (OPEB).
(See Financial Management section of Volume I for
more detail on this revenue source.)
1 6 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
EXPENDITURES Expenditures are broken down into two primary
groups: appropriations directly related to
departmental services and fixed and mandated costs.
FY13 appropriations are subdivided into three
subgroups as follows:
City Departments, which includes all operating
department appropriations, a risk retention reserve
and a set-aside for tax title and annual audit expenses;
Boston Public Health Commission (PHC), the City
appropriation for the quasi-independent authority and
successor to the Department of Health and Hospitals;
and
School Department, the City appropriation for the
Boston Public Schools (BPS).
Appropriations are also presented by expenditure
category across the three subgroups. (Figure 7)
Personnel Services include salaries, overtime,
Medicare, unemployment compensation and workers’
compensation, and a collective bargaining reserve for
employees in City departments, PHC and BPS. Nearly
all of the collective bargaining agreements between
the City and the unions expired during calendar year
2010. The contract with the firefighters union expired
on June 30, 2011. The City has settled collective
bargaining agreements with several non-public safety
unions and is currently in active negotiations with the
remaining unsettled unions. The collective bargaining
reserves contain funding based on estimates for
successor agreements that would cover proposed wage
increases and the retroactive impacts of wage
increases that are being negotiated for FY11 – FY13.
Current reserve amounts are based on the wage
pattern agreed to with the settled collective
bargaining agreements.
The Health Benefits category includes the cost of
health care coverage for City and BPS employees and
retirees as well as PHC employees plus the
appropriation for Other Post-Employment Benefits
(OPEB).
The Contractual Services category includes
expenditures for communications, repairs and service
to buildings, equipment and vehicles, transportation,
trash collection and disposal, as well as outside legal,
advertising and printing expenses.
Included in the “Other” category are supplies and
materials such as gasoline, uniform allowances, office
supplies, workers’ compensation medical expenses,
medical indemnification in the Fire and Police
Departments, legal liabilities and aid to veterans. Also
included in the “Other” category are appropriations for
equipment, vehicles, a risk retention reserve, the
Housing Trust Fund, tax title and funding for the City’s
outside audit.
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Balancing Responsibility for Health Care Costs In FY13, the City has budgeted $289 million in health
insurance premiums for city employees and retirees –
almost 12% of total expenditures. Similar to other
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'01 '03 '05 '07 '09 '11 '13 '15
City Cost Increases (cumulative)FY01-FY15 (FY14-FY15 Projected)
FY13 Health Insurance 135%
FY13 Other City Costs 39%
Figure 8
PERSONNELSERVICES
61.3%
CONTRACT. SERVICES
14.6%
OTHER4.7%
PHC2.8% HEALTH
BENEFITS16.6%
FY13 Appropriations by Category
Figure 7
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 1 7
Massachusetts municipalities, Boston’s health
insurance costs have dramatically increased over the
last decade, restricting resources available for other
purposes.
As Figure 8 demonstrates, the higher growth rate for
health care, compared to other city costs, will
continue into future years. However, in FY13, the City
is experiencing a one year unusual cost decrease,
shown more specifically in Figure 9. This decrease is
due to the confluence of several factors: City
employees and retirees continuing to share a larger
portion of health care costs, Medicare beginning to pay
its full share of the City’s health claims (see later
section on mandatory Medicare Enrollment), and
lower health insurance premiums due to a lower
claims year.
Partnership with Unions
In FY11, the City adopted MGL Chapter 32B, S.19 and
began working with the unions through coalition
bargaining. As part of a four year agreement between
the City and its thirty-six bargaining units,
represented through the Public Employee Committee
(PEC), City employees and retirees will pay an
increased share of total health care costs. The
agreement was established outside of, but was assisted
by, new statewide legislation allowing municipalities
more freedom in health plan design. The agreement is
projected to save up to $70 million in City costs from
FY12 – FY15. Under this agreement, employee and
retiree share of premiums for non-Medicare plans
increased by 1.25% in FY12 and will increase by
another 1.25% in FY13. Total premium share will vary
by type of plan, ranging from 17.5% for HMOs to 27.5%
for indemnity plans. In addition to the premium share
increase, member co-pays will increase in FY13 for
prescriptions, office visits, and emergency room visits.
Figure 10 demonstrates the higher share of total
health care costs (including premiums and co-pays)
borne by employees and retirees as a result of this
agreement. In FY11, members paid roughly 18% of
total health care costs, compared to 22% in FY13 after
all changes are in place. In FY16, the City will have
the ability to accept the new state legislation, and
further increase employee and retiree out-of-pocket
payments.
Mandatory Medicare Enrollment
The new state municipal health care legislation
further mandates that all Medicare-eligible municipal
retirees must enroll in Medicare Part B and a City
health plan. The City projects annual savings,
beginning in FY13, of almost $6 million from this new
legislation.
The Broader Picture
Healthplan Active Retiree * TotalIndemnity 2,135 1,917 4,052
HMO 13,193 3,248 16,441
Medicare - 8,545 8,545
Total 15,328 13,710 29,038
City Healthplan Subscribers Feb '12
* Headcounts are pro jected for post mandatory M edicare enrollment.
18%22%
33%
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FY11 Boston FY13 Boston GIC - HPHCPPO
Employee Share Employer Share
FY13 Employee Share of Total Healthcare Costs Premium plus "out-of-Pocket" (OOP) costs. Boston and GIC Premium shares for Harvard Pilgrim.
Figure 10
Fiscal Total Dollar PercentYear Cost Change ChangeFY05 $189.2FY06 $209.2 $20.0 10.5%FY07 $234.3 $25.1 12.0%FY08 $254.0 $19.7 8.4%FY09 $263.0 $9.0 3.6%FY10 $278.6 $15.6 5.9%FY11 $290.5 $11.9 4.3%FY12* $307.4 $16.9 5.8%FY13* $289.0 ‐$18.4 ‐6.0%
*FY12 Projection and FY13 Budget estimate
Health Insurance ($ Mil)
Figure 9
1 8 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
As Figure 8 demonstrates, the City’s steadily
increasing health care costs experienced a slower
average 6% annual trend from 2008 – 2013, compared
to over 10% in prior years. This slightly lower trend
reflects three components – lower premiums due to
more aggressive rate negotiations along with lower
overall claims inflation in that period, the increasing
of cost share paid by City employees and retirees, and
the phasing out of a high cost health plan (Blue Cross
Master Medical). As mentioned earlier, after the one
year FY13 negative cost adjustment due to these same
factors and mandatory Medicare, costs will continue to
increase based solely on medical cost increases,
nationally projected to exceed 8% per year.
This continuing high rate of cost increase is due to
multiple factors, including increasing medical
provider charges, increasing available technologies, an
aging population, overuse of certain services, high
utilization of more expensive hospitals, and unhealthy
lifestyle choices of members. These problems must be
addressed by multiple parties.
The City, in cooperation with the Public Employee
Committee (PEC), will continue to tackle the portion
of these factors within its control. For example:
• From FY08 through FY12, the City and its unions
agreed to phase out a costly indemnity plan,
saving millions of dollars per year with no
negative impact on members.
• In March 2012, the City and the PEC agreed to
self-insure most of the City’s health claims to
reduce administrative costs, and establish a
mechanism to smooth premium increases in the
long run.
• Multiple efforts are being taken to encourage city
employees and retirees to adopt healthier
lifestyle choices. For example, targeted benefit
improvements are being made to support
smoking cessation. Also, the City is contracting
with Atrius Health, a major health care provider,
to provide additional chronic disease
management services for City of Boston patients.
Note: FY13 health, dental and life insurance benefits
for City employees and retirees are budgeted
separately for City departments ($196.8M), BPS
($87.0M), and PHC ($10.5M).
Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB)
While the City is required by law to make an annual
contribution toward reducing its unfunded pension
liability, there is no such requirement for retiree
health and life insurance benefits. The City pays for
retiree health benefits as the actual expense is paid
out on a pay-as-you-go basis, which greatly understates
the full obligation. Similar to pensions, employees
earn these other post-employment benefits (OPEB)
over their years of service, but do not actually receive
them until retirement. In fact, this liability is greater
than the City’s pension liability. An independent
actuarial valuation estimates the City’s total OPEB
obligation at June 30, 2011 at $3.1 billion.
In FY08, the City was required by the Governmental
Accounting Standards Board (GASB) to implement
new standards that required the City to identify and
disclose this future estimate on non-pension benefits
earned but not yet funded which the City is obligated
to pay on behalf of current and future retirees. In
FY08, in the absence of legal authority to establish a
trust fund for the purpose of prefunding OPEB
liabilities, the City established an OPEB Stabilization
Fund and made an acknowledgement payment of $20
million to that fund, a first step in addressing this
unfunded promise. An additional $25 million
appropriation was made to this Stabilization Fund in
FY09.
In June 2009, the City accepted Chapter 32B, section
20, as added by Chapter 479 of the Acts of 2008,
authorizing the establishment of an irrevocable Other
Post-Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund. An
appropriation of $20 million to this Trust Fund was
made in FY10 with $35 million appropriated in both
FY11 and FY12. In April 2011, the City transferred the
balance of the OPEB Stabilization Fund to the
irrevocable OPEB Trust Fund.
The City will allocate another $40 million in FY13
toward reducing this liability. A fully funded annual
required contribution (ARC) would set aside enough
assets to pay the liability that current employees are
incurring, as well as a portion of any liability due to
benefits earned and never accounted for. The City’s
OPEB financing plan balances the duty to deliver
valuable public services while acknowledging the cost
of providing health benefits for our employees, both
now and when they retire.
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 1 9
Pensions
The City participates in a contributory defined benefit
retirement system that is administered by the State-
Boston Retirement System (SBRS). SBRS is one of
106 public pension systems governed by Massachusetts
General Law Chapter 32. The most recent completed
valuation of the SBRS, based on January 1, 2010 data,
committed to funding based upon a schedule which
includes paying the normal cost and an annual
contribution toward reducing the unfunded liability to
zero by the year 2025. Current state law allows systems
to fully fund by no later than 2040.
The City’s annual pension funding contribution was
$108.5 million in FY10, $192.0 million in FY11, and was
budgeted for $126.5 million in FY12 and $137.0 million
in FY13. The large-scale swings in pension cost during
FY09-FY12 are driven by two main factors:
1) Legislation passed in May, 2010, transitioned the
City’s pension cost away from any relationship to
teacher’s liability (thus the lower “Required
SBRS Appropriation” and the zeroing out of the
“Teachers’ Pension Reimbursement”).
2) The extraordinary additional down payment of
$82 million on the pension unfunded liability in
FY11.
The real trend in pension cost is best represented by
the Net Required Pension Cost in Table 1. The Net
Required Pension Cost hovers between $94 million and
$110 million between FY09 through FY11, before a
significant jump occurs in FY12. FY12 is the first year
the SBRS required appropriation was impacted by the
significant loss in pension assets in the 2008 calendar
year.
ENERGY MANAGEMENT
Energy Management Board The Mayor’s Energy Management Board is charged
with making decisions regarding the City’s
procurement, use and conservation of energy and to
minimize the associated greenhouse gas impacts to
public health. The Energy Management Board is
comprised of the Chief of Environment and Energy,
Chief Financial Officer, Chief of Public Property and
the Chief of Public Health.
In FY13 energy budgets total $55.5 million with
electricity costs making up 49% of the budget, natural
gas costs making up 29% of the budget and
gasoline/diesel comprising 12% of the budgets. The
remaining 10% of the budget funds water and sewer,
steam and heating oil.
Energy Management Policies The City’s energy management and reduction policies
seek to:
• Coordinate and enhance existing conservation
programs;
• Incorporate best practices for both operations &
maintenance and future capital investment;
• Focus on efficiency projects using currently-
available and proven technologies; and
• Analyze the financial impacts of project
implementation.
Energy Management Strategies Following the policy of best practices in both
operations & maintenance and capital investment,
strategies have been developed to implement energy
conservation projects. Strategies include:
• Maximize the use of energy efficiency subsidies
provided by energy efficiency distribution tariffs and
distributed by local utility companies;
• Use existing Energy Management Systems to
control energy use at existing buildings;
Changes to City Pension Funding Obligations ($millions)
SBRS Required
Appropriation
Teacher's Pension
Reimbursement
Net Required Pension
Cost
Extraordinary
Payment
Total Pension
CostFY13 $ 136.98 -$ 136.98$ -$ 136.98$ FY12 126.55 - 126.55 - 126.55$ FY11 110.01 - 110.01 82.00 192.01FY10 108.46 - 108.46 - 108.46FY09 213.23 118.84 94.39 - 94.39FY08 202.90 105.40 97.50 - 97.50
Table 1
2 0 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
• Provide for a green energy component in the City’s
electric supply contract;
• Support electric grid reliability and generate
revenue and energy savings with demand response
contract; and,
• Implement energy performance contracts to get
necessary capital improvements and ensure
operational efficiencies.
Energy Management Successes In FY13, the City hopes to continue its trend of energy
management successes and to continue to benefit
from decisions made in prior fiscal years.
The City competitively procures it electric supply and
is currently covered by a contract that will be in place
through March 2013. The contract uses a pricing
model where the City buys its electricity in the
variable day-ahead electric supply market to get the
lowest cost possible. The City measures its success in
this contract by comparing its electric supply costs
incurred through the third party supply vendor to
what it would have paid NSTAR, the local electric
distribution company, for the same electric supply.
During FY12 and into FY13, the most dramatic change
in energy use will come in the Public Works
Department. Through a collaborative effort of the
Environment and Energy Cabinet, the Public Works
Department and NSTAR, the local electric distribution
company, three financial resources have been
combined to implement a significant retrofit project.
The project involves the replacement of mercury vapor
street lighting fixtures with energy efficient Light
Emitting Diodes (LEDs). In FY12 the LED project will
save 11.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity savings
and an estimated $1.5 million. The cost of the LED
project is currently funded with City capital bond
funding and energy efficiency incentive dollars
distributed by NSTAR, and has been funded from the
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant,
funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act (ARRA).
Additional energy projects implemented in FY12
include the upgrade to the energy management system
(EMS) at the main branch of the Boston Public
Library at Copley Square and a second phase of energy
improvements at Boston City Hall that involved
improvements to the heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) system that includes a chiller
automation system and variable speed drives for water
pumps. These two projects are projected to produce
estimated FY12 savings of 1.3 million kilowatt hours
and $163 thousand.
Continuing a successful partnership with the City’s
local utility companies and accessing energy efficiency
incentive grant funds, future projects for FY13 and
beyond include the continued upgrade of street lights
fixtures to LEDs that should save an additional 7.5
million kilowatt hours of electricity and an estimated
$936 thousand in FY13. Additionally a third phase of
energy improvements is scheduled for Boston City Hall
that involves an upgrade to the energy management
system and additional HVAC improvements to improve
exhaust and return air upgrades along with
improvements to dampers and distribution systems.
This phase is projected to save an estimated 1.6
million kilowatt hours of electricity and $213 thousand
in FY13.
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 2 1
APPROPRIATIONS
Departmental Appropriations The combined appropriations for City Departments,
the Public Health Commission (PHC) and the School
Department (BPS) as shown in the FY13 Budget
Summary have increased by 1.0% from the FY12
appropriations. Approximately 73% of the amount
shown for City Departments covers four
appropriations: Police, Fire, Public Works and Health
Benefits. (Health Benefits are also included in the
appropriations for PHC and BPS.)
The departmental appropriations are shown in the
General Fund Appropriation by Cabinet table.
Departmental appropriations also can be divided by
cabinet, to better reflect the overall policy priorities
and trends by service area. (Figure 10)
Some of the highlights of FY12/FY13 changes by
cabinet are as follows:
Mayor’s Office Overall, in FY13 the departments in the Mayor’s Office
cabinet will see an increase of 0.3%. Departments
included in the Mayor’s Office Cabinet are the Mayor’s
Office, Emergency Management, Law, Office of
Neighborhood Services and Public Information. The
Mayor’s Office Cabinet will continue to house the
Office of New Urban Mechanics dedicated to civic
innovation, focusing on delivering both transformative
and basic City services to Boston's residents. The
Mayor’s 24-Hour Office of Constituent Engagement in
the Public Information Department works in
partnership with the Department of Innovation and
Technology (DoIT) and front-line service delivery
departments to manage the Constituent Relationship
Management (CRM) system. This system dispatches
work to the responsible city departments and tracks
the final resolution. Costs related to CRM technology
are budgeted in the Department of Innovation and
Technology (DoIT) which is under the Chief
Information Officer.
Advocacy and Strategic Investment The Advocacy and Strategic Investment Cabinet
focuses on enacting legislative reform, strengthening
education, fostering job creation and serving Boston’s
diverse communities supported by local, state and
federal partners. The cabinet is comprised of the
Boston Residents Job Policy, Intergovernmental
Relations, Office of New Bostonians and the Small and
Local Business departments. The budgets in this
cabinet will see a 1.4% increase in FY13. The Office of
Boston Residents Jobs Policy’s mission is to increase
construction opportunities for Boston’s residents,
minorities and women. The Intergovernmental
Relations department keeps the Mayor informed on
intergovernmental issues at the city, state and federal
levels. The Office of New Bostonians seeks to
strengthen the ability of new immigrants in the City of
Boston to fully participate in economic, civic, social
and cultural life of the City. The Small and Local
Business Enterprise Office (S/LBE) is responsible for
ensuring the equitable participation of small and local
businesses, as well as minority and women businesses,
in the City’s contracting arena.
The Advocacy and Strategic Investment Cabinet plays
a leadership role in the Circle of Promise initiative
working to foster collaboration between City
government centered in Boston Public Schools, not-
for-profit organizations, and families in the Circle of
Promise to combat family poverty by helping secure
jobs and job training, housing, food and health care
services, and any other public benefits necessary to
improve people’s lives.
Administration and Finance The Administration and Finance Cabinet administers
the day-to-day management of city government. In
addition to various administrative departments and
the Boston Public Library, the Administration and
Finance Cabinet houses the central City
appropriations for Execution of Courts, Health
Insurance, Medicare Payments, Pensions and
Annuities, Unemployment and Workers’ Compensation
Fund. As a result of a one-year decrease in the central
MAYOR0.6%
ADMIN. & FINANCE
13.9%
CIO1.1%
PUBLIC PROPERTY
2.2%
ECON DEV0.0%
ENVIR. & ENERGY
0.9%
PUBLIC SAFETY23.9%
HUMAN SERV.1.9%
PHC3.4%NON-
MAYORAL0.3%
HOUSING & NEIGHBOR-HOOD DEV
0.5%
ADVOCACY &
STRATEGIC INVEST.
0.1%
EDUCATION44.2%
PUBLIC WORKS & TRANS.
6.9%
FY13 Appropriations by Cabinet
Figure 10
2 2 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
Health Insurance appropriation (more fully discussed
in the Employee Benefits section earlier in this
chapter), the Administration and Finance Cabinet will
see a 6.9% decrease in FY13.
The Assessing Department will see a 2.7% increase in
its appropriation primarily due to increased costs
related to the revaluation process in FY13 and
collectively bargained wage increases. Assessing is
required to conduct a comprehensive parcel-specific
revaluation of the City’s taxable property every three
years.
The Auditing Department is responsible for
monitoring the City’s internal controls, managing
grant funds, providing financial reports and
maintaining the financial records of the City. Auditing
will see a 5.4% increase in its FY13 appropriation as
the department reorganizes to provide centralized
accounts payable services – a business process change
that will come as a result of the Boston Administrative
Information System (BAIS) Financials upgrade. The
Auditing Department is the lead business sponsor for
the BAIS Financials upgrade project but the project
will involve most of the departments within the
Administration and Finance Cabinet along with the
continued partnership with the Department of
Innovation and Technology (DoIT). The goals of the
BAIS Financials project are to upgrade the BAIS
application to improve operational efficiency and
effectiveness, reengineer and standardize business
processes and to provide a more environmentally
friendly operation that eliminates paper processes
with improved electronic workflow. The project is
funded with a combination of external and capital
budget resources and is scheduled to be completed for
FY13.
The Office of Budget Management (OBM) manages
the City’s operating and capital budget development
and resource planning processes as well as the Boston
About Results (BAR) performance management
program with the Office of Administration and
Finance. OBM will see essentially level funding in its
FY13 appropriation.
The Health Insurance appropriation for City
employees and City and BPS retirees will see a one-
year unusual decrease of 9.9% compared to the FY12
appropriation, a cost reduction of $21.5 million. The
Health Insurance appropriation also includes the cost
of dental and vision coverage for employees (non- BPS
and PHC) and retirees who are eligible for coverage
through collective bargaining agreements or executive
order.
The Human Resources Department will see a 4.2%
increase in its FY13 appropriation with the addition of
a position plus a contract to provide classification and
compensation reviews for city employees and
positions. As it continues to prioritize cost
management, the Human Resources Department has
added additional staff in its Health Benefits unit.
The Boston Public Library (BPL) Department will see
a 3.4% increase in its FY13 general fund appropriation.
In FY13 the BPL will restore its materials budget back
to FY11 funding level. The additional funds will be
spent on downloadable e-books as well as books and
DVDs for branches throughout the system. In FY13 a
new e-reader lending program will be developed to
bring this new technology to those unable to buy e-
readers. Resources have also been designated to make
creative facility improvements to the branch libraries.
These improvements include an early literacy nook at
Charlestown, a teen writing lab at Egleston, a teen
zone at Hyde Park, and the rejuvenation of outdoor
space in South Boston. Additionally, staff resources
have been added to support the management of larger
capital facility improvements.
The Purchasing Department will be a leader in the use
of one of the new modules included in the BAIS
Financials upgrade discussed earlier. The
eProcurement module will provide new functionality
in the BAIS Financials application and will streamline
the purchasing process.
Chief Information Officer The Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT)
will see a 5.7% increase in its FY13 appropriation.
This budget reflects the Mayor’s commitment to invest
in technology to increase efficiencies and deliver
improved city services. Much of the budgetary growth
for DoIT in FY13 relates to new enterprise-wide
software maintenance costs for the City’s disaster
recovery technology infrastructure, new modules for
the BAIS Financials application and Boston About
Results (BAR) software. These technology
improvements benefit all departments but are
centrally budgeted in DoIT.
In FY13 DoIT will hire a civic software developer to be
a liaison to Boston’s native developer communities and
support the City’s open data strategy and host
developer engagement events. This new position will
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 2 3
work closely with the Mayor’s Office of New Urban
Mechanics. During FY13, DoIT will continue to shape
the City’s Information Technology (IT) strategy and to
manage the City’s entire technology project portfolio
including ongoing projects such as enterprise-wide
permitting and licensing, the new Boston Business
Hub (BizHub) web portal, the Constituent
Relationship Management (CRM) system, expansion
of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the
Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system and providing
technological support for the Community Learning
Initiative involving the Boston Public Schools (BPS),
Boston Public Library (BPL) and the Boston Centers
for Youth and Families (BCYF). DoIT also provides
technical support to the upgrade to the Boston
Administrative Information System (BAIS) Financials
application discussed earlier in the Administration
and Finance Cabinet section.
DoIT is managing the Boston Public Computing and
Sustainable Broadband Adoption grants. These
competitive grants, funded by the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), have created 48
modern public computing sites located at BCYF, BPL
and Boston Housing Authority (BHA) facilities with
627 computers available for public use. This
investment has resulted in over 9,000 citizens
attending computer training and will allow for an
additional 45,000 citizens to have access to computers
and broadband internet.
Public Safety In FY13 the Public Safety Cabinet that includes the
Fire and Police Departments will see a 2.8% increase.
The FY13 budget for the Fire Department will increase
by approximately $3.5 million or 1.9%. The budget
includes the impact of a new firefighter recruit class
to start in July, 2012 and a second recruit class
scheduled to start in mid FY13. The recruit classes
are intended to replace retirees and to ensure that
staffing levels in the fire suppression category are
maintained at the desired operational level. The FY13
Fire Department budget will make a considerable
investment in a new inspection and cleaning program
for its bunker gear as recommended by national
standards. The FY13 budget includes funding to
repair and clean existing sets of bunker gear and
continues the ongoing plan to replace bunker gear
that has reached the end of its useful life.
The Police Department’s FY13 budget will increase by
$9.3 million or 3.5%. In FY13 the Police Department’s
budget will need to absorb the majority of the cost of
50 police officers that were funded on the ARRA-
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring
Recovery Grant for the last three years. Pursuant to
the terms of the grant the City agreed to cover the
fourth year of salaries with City funding. Additionally,
the FY13 budget includes funding for a recruit police
officer class currently planned for the fall of 2012 to
ensure that the City will maintain its sworn staffing
levels. The Police Department will make investments
in necessary equipment for police officers including
bullet-proof vests and guns. The FY13 budget also
includes a large allocation to cover the cost of
developing and implementing a new exam for superior
officers.
In FY13 the department will implement a new
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant
to support increased officers on Safe Street Teams.
The successful award of this new COPS grant requires
a local match that has been included in the FY13
budget. Safe Street Teams engage Boston police
officers in community problem-oriented policing of
violent crime hot spot areas. Safe Street Team
officers are assigned to these areas for a sustained
period of time which allows officers to get to know
local residents and business owners and form effective
working partnerships. Since deployed, the
neighborhoods with Safe Street Teams have seen a
material reduction in crime. In an effort to better
coordinate the department’s community outreach and
increase the number of neighborhood crime watches, a
Director of Neighborhood Outreach will be hired. The
Bureau of Intelligence and Analysis will continue,
through the Boston Regional Intelligence Center
(BRIC), to be the central clearinghouse of information
from all available sources providing tactical and/or
strategic expertise to support law enforcement
activities throughout the department. The BRIC is
partnering with the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) to create a predictive policing
model to stop problems before they arise.
Economic Development The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA)
continues to fully fund its operation as the City’s
central planning and economic development agency
within the existing BRA revenue structure without
support from the City’s general fund in FY13. The BRA
does access the City’s capital budget to make
investments in economic development areas under its
control.
2 4 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
Public Property The Public Property Cabinet as a whole will see an
increase of 6.5%. Coming out of a period of severe
fiscal constraint, the City is experiencing a pent-up
demand for capital investment and requires a stepped-
up program to address deferred maintenance of its
capital assets. To address these concerns about the
City’s capital assets, the Property and Construction
Management (PCM) Department will see a $1.2
million or 6.5% increase in its appropriation in FY13.
Most of the increase comes from additional staff being
hired in the capital construction unit of PCM to
manage the execution of the facility component of the
City’s capital plan. The FY13 budget also includes
wage increases for settled collective bargaining
agreements. In addition, an increase to PCM’s
operating budget for repairs to buildings will help with
ongoing building preventative maintenance and
repairs to avoid more costly capital repairs.
The Office of Arts, Tourism & Special Events will see a
7.9% increase in its FY13 appropriation primarily
related to a decision to create in-house City positions
to manage the Parkman House and the Strand
Theatre. These City facilities were previously staffed
with employees of a non-profit organization.
Additionally, with increased activity at the Strand
Theatre the department’s utility budget is seeing an
increase. The Consumer Affairs & Licensing
department shows a slight decrease in FY13 that will
have no impact on services.
The Department of Voter Mobilization will see a 5.1%
decrease in its FY13 appropriation. The department’s
budget varies each year based on the number and type
of elections scheduled to take place. In FY13, two
elections are scheduled, a state primary election and
the state and Presidential final election. In the state
elections, unlike municipal elections, the state will
bear all of the costs associated with printing the
ballots for every registered voter. The department will
continue to canvass all of Boston’s neighborhoods
during the annual listing process to have a full and
complete list of Boston residents over the age of 17 to
provide to the state’s Jury Commission. Expanded
outreach to non-English speakers is also a priority.
The Parks and Recreation Department budget will see
an increase of 9.4% in FY13. The bulk of the increase
is attributed to an expanded seasonal workforce that
is assigned to Parks Maintenance crews from April to
October and a special allocation of funding targeted at
deferred maintenance and beautification projects in
city parks. The FY13 budget also includes wage
increases for settled collective bargaining agreements.
The Parks Department will add an additional tree
climber position to establish two full in-house tree
crews that work in conjunction with outside
contractors to address the single most frequent
customer service request – tree maintenance. The
Mayor’s “Boston Blooms” program will be expanded
with additional flowers and bulb plantings in
partnership with community groups.
Public Works & Transportation Individual budgets in this cabinet include Public
Works, Central Fleet Management and Transportation,
as well as the City’s appropriation for snow removal.
Excluding the budget for snow removal, the Cabinet
reflects an increase of 2%.
The Public Works Department’s FY13 appropriation
has been increased by 2.5%. Public Works will see an
increase to its waste removal appropriation with the
continuation of multi-year waste removal contracts
that contain increases tied to the consumer price
index or pre-approved price schedules. Also, Public
Works recently accepted contract bids for street
sweeping that will increase the cost of day and night
street sweeping in FY13. Public Works, like many
frontline departments, has added vehicle replacement
to their FY13 budget. Through a collaborative effort
with the Environment and Energy Cabinet and NSTAR,
the local electric distribution company, Public Works
will continue to retrofit existing street light fixtures
with energy efficient Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs).
The cost of the ongoing LED project is funded with
City funding and energy efficiency incentive dollars
managed by NSTAR.
In FY13, the Transportation Department will see a
decrease of .7%. The FY13 decrease is tied to two
areas. The reduction in personnel is the result of a
more controlled hiring process particularly for parking
enforcement officer positions while the department
continuously evaluates the optimum number of
parking enforcement officers needed to enforce
current regulations, improve traffic flow and allow for
enforcement on streets posted for non-parking during
scheduled street sweeping operations. The reduction
in the lease purchase budget relates to the retirement
of lease purchase equipment financing debt during
FY12 for parking meter and other equipment
purchased during FY09.
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 2 5
Transportation will increase its use of Global
Positioning Systems (GPS) in FY13 to better track
traffic enforcement efforts. The Transportation
budget includes funding for community bicycle
programs originally funded with external resources
and for the cost of pavement markings including
bicycle lanes. The cost of pavement markings was
budgeted in Public Works in FY12.
As was mentioned earlier, many frontline city
departments, including the Transportation
Department, have provided for vehicle replacement in
their FY13 budget. The Central Fleet Management
(CFM) Department played a critical role in the
analysis of departmental vehicle inventories that
included information about vehicle age, mileage and
repair history so that departments could make
informed decisions with regard to vehicle replacement
plans and budgets. CFM helped make the business
case that, more often than not, it is more cost effective
to replace a vehicle rather than keeping it beyond its
useful life and incurring costly maintenance and
repairs. CFM is reviewing vehicle utilization and has
procured vehicle sharing software to create a larger
pool of shared city vehicles dubbed FleetHub. The
goal of FleetHub is to increase utilization per vehicle,
which will allow a reduction in total vehicles needed.
The software provides a more efficient and user-
friendly means of scheduling vehicle use among city
staff. Also, in an effort to eliminate the costly practice
of maintaining departmental back-up vehicles, CFM
will provide a central pool of loaner vehicles for front
line departments so that a scheduled vehicle repair
will not interfere with the delivery of basic city
services. All of these efforts are being made to create
a smaller fleet of city vehicles that optimizes their use,
maintains an appropriate replacement schedule and
prioritizes regular ongoing preventative maintenance.
Environment and Energy The Environment and Energy Cabinet, which includes
the Environment and Inspectional Services (ISD)
departments, will see a 4.1% increase in FY13. The
Environment and Energy Cabinet focuses on energy
policy including renewable energy, green buildings,
and electricity deregulation in addition to enforcing
the City’s building, housing, and environmental
regulations. The collective efforts are generally
referred to as the City’s Municipal Sustainability
Program.
The Inspectional Services Department (ISD) will see
an increase of 1.1%. ISD was the first city department
to begin to move their business processes to a new
Automated Permitting and Inspection System (APIS)
being implemented by the Department of Innovation
and Technology (DoIT). The goal of the enterprise
permitting and licensing system is to move all City
permitting to a central system to provide consistent
levels of service and data across all city departments.
In conjunction with APIS, ISD will collaborate with
other permitting agencies such as the Fire
Department and Neighborhood Development to
support the Boston Business Hub (BizHub), a one-
stop permitting center to support constituents and
small businesses with easier and more accessible
permitting. ISD has included items in their FY13
budget aimed at improving customer service. In FY13
ISD will buy technology that will allow for the
electronic transmission and review of construction
plans by multiple departments. Also, in an effort to
help the customers who come to do business at ISD’s
offices located at 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, ISD will
install active video displays to help customers navigate
the required permit processes and procedures.
The Environment Department will see a significant
increase of 36.6%. The increase reflects a
commitment to programmatic activities that were
originally funded with external resources. Two
municipal energy managers currently being funded by
the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant,
an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
grant, will move to the Environment Department’s
operating budget in FY13. The Environment
Department wants to continue to support the Renew
Boston initiative even though the Energy Efficiency
and Conservation Block Grant will expire during FY13.
(Renew Boston is a network of energy efficiency
providers helping to assist qualified Boston
homeowners and landlords in making energy
improvements to their properties). The department
will hire an in-house Renew Boston Outreach Manager
to continue the collaboration with local utility
companies and community-based organizations that
are currently retrofitting existing homes and
implementing energy efficiency programs in small
businesses.
With the Mayor’s ongoing commitment to support
healthy food policies, the Environment Department
will move its Food Policy Director position from
external funding on to the operating budget in FY13
and add a new Food Policy Coordinator. The Food
Policy Council will continue to advance the Mayor’s
food agenda by working to increase access to fresh,
2 6 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
affordable, and local food, especially for those at risk
of going hungry.
Finally in an effort to preserve historic records
additional funding has been provided for the
Environment Department’s Landmarks Commission to
scan existing records in an electronic format. This
will allow the public to access these records online.
Human Services Overall, the FY13 appropriation for the Human
Services Cabinet has increased by 2.9%. The Boston
Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) budget will
increase by 4.1%. BCYF has successfully consolidated
down to 35 sites over the past two fiscal years and
continues its commitment to move beyond providing
just gym and swim to provide full service community
centers in every neighborhood. Full service
community centers provide diverse quality
programming, appropriate staff to participant ratios,
and consistent hours of operation, quality facilities
and a commitment to working with partner
organizations and community stakeholders to provide
the highest levels of service to the community.
In FY13 BCYF will implement an outcome
measurement tool, “YOU Count”, to gain a deeper
understanding of the true impact BCYF is having on
the community it serves. Data gathered from the tool
will inform program changes at the centers to meet
community needs as they arise.
BCYF will begin to address requests for diverse
recreational activities and will install rock climbing
walls and high ropes courses at five community
centers. Redesigned teen centers, piloted at 5 sites,
will provide “teen friendly” spaces that will include
music studio elements, new furniture, homework
space, games, and technology to provide education
and enrichment. In an effort to encourage more
citizens to fully utilize their centers, community
friendly spaces will be created to convene meetings.
Spaces will be painted, furniture will be upgraded and
audio visual equipment and technology infrastructure
will be installed.
The Youth Fund will continue its successful
partnering with community-based organizations. The
FY13 general fund appropriation for the Youth Fund
has been level funded and together with anticipated
state funds is projected to provide an estimated 3,400
summer jobs. The City is expecting to receive funding
from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the
YouthWorks program that targets summer jobs for at-
risk and low income youth. Together with all of its
partners, the City’s goal is to provide 8,800 jobs.
The Commission for Persons with Disabilities’ budget
will increase by 8.9% in FY13. The Commission will
restructure its staff to meet its commitment to reduce
architectural, procedural, attitudinal, and
communication barriers that affect people with
disabilities.
In FY13, the Elderly Commission will see a 3.1%
increase with a plan to provide more events and
programs for seniors. The Commission will also focus
on engaging the aging baby boomer population. The
FY13 budget includes wage increases for settled
collective bargaining agreements. The slight decrease
reflected in the Veteran’s Services department will not
impact services. The Aid to Veteran’s appropriation
account that covers state-mandated veteran expenses
paid by the City and reimbursed by the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts at 75% of the actual costs will be
funded at the same level as FY12.
Housing and Neighborhood Development The Housing and Neighborhood Development cabinet
will increase by 1.6% in FY13. The Department of
Neighborhood Development (DND) will see a increase
of 3.8%. DND is in the process of adjusting to
significant cuts to federal grants such as HOME and
CDBG. The reductions have resulted in a decrease in
available funding for central administration. DND’s
FY13 operating budget has absorbed some but not all
of the cost of administrative positions that would have
had to be eliminated.
Leading the Way resources will support efforts in the
areas of foreclosure prevention, intervention and
property reclamation, neighborhood stabilization, and
rental housing development and preservation.
Economic development and job creation will be
supported with funding, technical assistance, and
training for the Main Street Districts whose mission is
to build vibrant neighborhood commercial districts
throughout the City. DND will continue its
partnership with the Department of Innovation and
Technology (DoIT) and other permitting departments
like Inspection Services and the Fire Department to
support the Boston Business Hub (BizHub). BizHub’s
goal is to be a convenient place for small businesses to
navigate required business permits and get technical
assistance.
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 2 7
Public Health Commission The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) serves
as the city’s health department and provides
community health programming, infectious disease
surveillance, shelter, food, and advocacy for homeless
individuals, substance abuse prevention and
treatment programs, school based health services, and
emergency medical services. The FY13 appropriation
for the Public Health Commission will decrease by
9.2%. The reduction is non-programmatic and is due
to the removal of the Boston Medical Center (BMC)
assistance grant from this department’s appropriation.
(See note below.) In addition it should be noted that
unlike most departments, the Public Health
Commission appropriation includes provisions for
health insurance, pension costs, and other post-
employment benefits. The actual operating budget for
the Public Health Commission, excluding health
insurance, pension and other costs, increased by 3.3%
from FY12.
The Public Health Commission plays a leading role in
the Mayor’s goal to narrow racial and ethnic health
inequities, achieved through strategies that include
the implementation of data collection regulations at
10 Boston hospitals and programming in the
neighborhoods to address the social determinants of
health. The Commission has adopted the following
overarching 5 year goals:
1. Reduce low birth rates among Boston
residents, and reduce the gap in low birth
rates between black and white residents by
25%;
2. Reduce chlamydia rates overall among Boston
residents 15 through 24 years of age, and
reduce the gap in chlamydia rates between
black, Latino, and white residents 15 through
24 years of age by 25%; and,
3. Reduce obesity rates among Boston residents
and reduce the gap between white and
black/Latino obesity/overweight rates in
children and youth by 30% and in adults by
20%.
The FY13 appropriation includes a one-time
investment to build a data exchange warehouse that
will allow the Commission to provide real time
information on health risks and the burden of disease,
as well as tracking best practices and health
outcomes.
The Public Health Commission will continue to
develop innovative programs to address chronic
disease prevention and wellness promotion in the City
of Boston using strategies focused on increasing
opportunities for healthy eating and safe physical
activity. To support the Mayor’s new anti-obesity
efforts, the FY13 budget includes funding for “Boston
Moves for Health”, a multi-pronged initiative to
promote healthy living for residents.
Violence prevention efforts remain a priority and the
Commission works closely with residents to address
community violence through the Violence Intervention
and Prevention (VIP) initiative and Partnerships
Advancing Communities Together (PACT).
The FY13 appropriation also provides $12.5 million in
funding for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and
includes funding for a new recruit class of Emergency
Medical Technicians planned for fall/winter 2012.
NOTE: The Public Health Commission (PHC) budget
previously included a $10.75 million direct payment to
the Boston Medical Center (BMC) - the Assistance
Grant - required by the agreement reached when the
City consolidated Boston City Hospital and Boston
University Medical Center Hospital in 1995. This
payment was then used to reimburse the City for the
Boston City Hospital special obligation bond’s annual
debt service. In FY12 the City refinanced the special
obligation debt as general obligation bonds. The debt
for these general obligation bonds is now included in
the City’s centralized debt service account eliminating
the need for the $10.75 annual appropriation for PHC.
School Department The FY13 Boston Public Schools (BPS) budget will
increase by $26.4 million, or 3.2%, from the FY12
appropriation. The FY13 budget was developed using
the Weighted Student Funding (WSF) allocation
model. Using the WSF methodology the funding
follows the student and a school’s allocation is based
on the specific needs on the students enrolled. The
FY13 BPS budget provides for the expansion of seven
high performing schools, adds pre-kindergarten
classrooms for the youngest learners (3 and 4 year
olds), increases training and professional
development for teachers and, strengthens vocational
opportunities by transforming Madison Park High
School. The budget focuses on student health by
increasing the number of school nurses, expanding
student access to school breakfast and will increasing
support for students with social/emotional
impairments.
2 8 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
(See the Innovations in Education chapter of this
volume for more details.)
Reserve for Collective Bargaining The FY13 recommended collective bargaining reserve
includes funding for collective bargaining agreements
that are still outstanding.
Debt Service
The City had expenditures for debt service of $125.5
million in FY10 and $126.7 million in FY11. The City
has a budget of $135.6 million for debt service in FY12
and expects to spend $137.6 million on debt service in
FY13. The City carries a favorable debt position and
debt burden due to well-defined debt policies and a
long-term capital strategy that benefits from non-
property tax support. A history of balanced budgets,
prudent fiscal policies and a conservatively structured
debt profile continue to serve the City well. In March
2012, Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s
Rating Services affirmed Boston’s credit rating at Aaa
and AA+, respectively. (Moody’s raised Boston’s credit
rating from Aa1 to Aaa in April 2010, when they
recalibrated their long-term U.S. municipal ratings to
its global scale.) A higher bond rating translates into
lower interest rates and real dollar savings for the
City.
For further detail see the Capital Planning and Financial Management chapters of this volume.
State Assessments Accompanying the local aid distributions on the
State’s cherry sheet are charges to the City from the
Commonwealth. Aside from the assessments for the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
and Charter School Tuition, state assessments are
relatively small. In accordance with Proposition 2 1/2,
these charges, except for Charter School Tuition,
cannot increase by more than 2.5% annually on a
statewide basis. The City’s state assessments
(inclusive of Charter School Tuition) were $141.9
million in FY10 and $147.7 million in FY11. The City
expects growth in assessments to $162.6 million in
FY12 and to $174.6 million in FY13.
Suffolk County The appropriation for Suffolk County, which is
mandated by State legislation, is included in the Fixed
Costs section of the Budget Summary.
During FY10 State legislation was passed that moved
the Sheriff’s department and its employees to the state
effective January 1, 2010. The one residual liability
that will continue to be a cost for the City is the
unfunded pension liability of current retirees of the
Sheriff’s department, who shall remain as members of
the State-Boston Retirement System (SBRS). The
FY13 annual cost will be level with what was provided
in FY12 for Suffolk County. This funding level will be
required to be paid during the course of the multi-year
pay down. Once the unfunded liability is fully
extinguished, all funding by the City for Suffolk County
shall cease.
Reserve The City is required by law to maintain a reserve on its
balance sheet of 2.5% of the prior year appropriations,
not including the School Department, which has its
own separate reserve. The current balance of this
reserve is $27.5 million. The reserve can be used to
provide for extraordinary and unforeseen
expenditures and the Mayor may make drafts or
transfers against this fund with City Council approval
only in the month of June. Since the establishment of
this reserve, the City has yet to make any drafts or
transfers from the reserve.
State AssessmentsFY10 FY11 FY12 FY13
Actual Actual Budget BudgetM.B.T.A. 74,728,852$ 74,532,457$ 77,760,210$ 78,301,126$ Charter School Tuition 62,020,257 68,292,834 79,761,953 91,441,282 RMV Non-Renewal Surcharge 3,359,720 3,186,780 3,186,780 2,906,560 Other Assessments 1,762,826 1,687,395 1,852,345 1,932,767
141,871,655$ 147,699,466$ 162,561,288$ 174,581,735$
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 2 9
FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 Inc . /De c .Ca bine t De pa rtme nt Expe nditure Expe nditure Appropria tion Appropria tion 13 vs 12Mayor's Office Emergency Management 284,106 308,122 311,392 311,392 0
Law Department 5,330,590 5,448,039 5,864,016 5,884,722 20,706Mayor's Office 2,019,129 2,054,880 2,173,135 2,199,041 25,906Neighborhood Services 1,257,600 1,181,860 1,280,133 1,255,887 - 24,247Public Information 1,126,647 1,092,647 1,305,584 1,311,130 5,546
Tota l 10,018,072 10,085,547 10,934,261 10,962,172 27,911Advocacy & Strategic InvestmentBoston Residents Job Policy 442,798 440,459 479,621 478,894 - 727
Intergovernmental Relations 1,005,159 1,071,492 1,164,167 1,197,632 33,464Office of New Bostonians 309,204 318,568 336,849 346,841 9,992Small/Local Business 594,363 617,713 621,637 616,134 - 5,503
Tota l 2,351,524 2,448,232 2,602,274 2,639,500 37,227Administration & Finance Office of Administration & Finance 743,536 665,522 833,847 886,337 52,490
Assessing Department 6,492,064 6,323,647 6,347,993 6,518,856 170,863Auditing Department 2,254,051 2,152,641 2,292,644 2,417,373 124,730Budget Management 3,006,838 2,812,751 2,639,982 2,641,827 1,846Execution of Courts 15,969,757 21,021,654 3,500,000 3,500,000 0Graphic Arts Department 1,516,636 0Health Insurance 196,076,530 200,780,123 218,282,804 196,755,586 - 21,527,218Human Resources 3,065,926 3,094,777 3,347,733 3,487,109 139,376Labor Relations 1,370,637 1,324,500 1,411,049 1,443,982 32,933Library Department 29,862,259 30,378,419 30,138,833 31,177,053 1,038,220Medicare Payments 6,594,999 5,697,616 7,924,250 8,280,841 356,591Pensions & Annuities 4,149,212 4,141,672 4,200,000 4,200,000 0Purchasing Division 1,305,957 1,621,172 1,649,633 1,668,329 18,697Registry Division 933,379 965,187 1,046,514 1,012,774 - 33,739Treasury Department 4,227,495 4,208,159 4,313,185 3,911,663 - 401,522Unemployment Compensation 16,318 159,806 350,000 350,000 0Workers' Compensation Fund 2,022,698 1,444,746 2,200,000 2,200,000 0
Tota l 279,608,294 286,792,392 290,478,465 270,451,731 - 20,026,734Chief Information Officer Department of Innovation and Technology 19,337,932 18,576,271 20,576,559 21,749,449 1,172,890
Tota l 19,337,932 18,576,271 20,576,559 21,749,449 1,172,890Public Safety Fire Department 173,632,218 178,020,674 181,950,838 185,483,773 3,532,936
Police Department 282,413,333 275,779,005 269,341,881 278,670,777 9,328,896Tota l 456,045,551 453,799,679 451,292,718 464,154,550 12,861,832
Education Boston Public Schools 817,830,215 821,375,358 831,466,550 857,828,589 26,362,039Tota l 817,830,215 821,375,358 831,466,550 857,828,589 26,362,039
Economic Development Boston Redevelopment Authority 0 0 0 0Tota l 0 0 0 0 0
Public Property Arts, Tourism & Special Events 1,608,366 1,570,325 1,631,239 1,759,761 128,521Consumer Affairs & Licensing 424,014 423,065 441,872 432,631 - 9,241Department of Voter Mobilization 3,808,537 3,235,810 3,582,458 3,398,862 - 183,596Parks & Recreation Department 15,611,363 15,495,353 15,375,474 16,827,314 1,451,840Property & Construction Mgmt. 21,095,297 21,811,969 18,999,620 20,225,288 1,225,668
Tota l 42,547,578 42,536,522 40,030,663 42,643,856 2,613,193Public Works & Transportation Central Fleet Management 2,404,408 2,457,080 2,013,665 2,055,381 41,716
Office of Chief of PWD & Transportation 1,270,559 1,271,077 1,387,668 1,384,570 - 3,097Public Works Department 81,495,461 81,050,263 80,363,998 82,408,248 2,044,250Snow Removal 11,967,496 21,461,489 17,059,444 17,843,045 783,601Transportation Department 30,329,180 29,869,749 30,142,971 29,939,146 - 203,825
Tota l 127,467,104 136,109,658 130,967,746 133,630,391 2,662,645Environment & Energy Environment Department 1,304,262 1,251,527 1,521,048 2,077,449 556,400
Inspectional Services Dept 15,613,457 15,544,850 15,972,042 16,139,849 167,807Tota l 16,917,720 16,796,377 17,493,091 18,217,298 724,207
Human Services Boston Centers for Youth & Families 21,811,328 21,382,933 21,800,073 22,702,295 902,221Civil Rights 315,114 318,360 125,996 125,996 0Commission for Persons with Disabilities 0 315,438 343,579 28,141Elderly Commission 2,846,292 2,818,100 2,798,645 2,886,514 87,869Emergency Shelter Commission 565,480 0Veterans Services Department 4,807,932 5,176,247 5,537,779 5,534,052 - 3,727Women's Commission 158,318 157,999 159,556 161,092 1,535Youth Fund 4,636,922 4,637,150 4,639,184 4,639,184 0
Tota l 35,141,386 34,490,789 35,376,671 36,392,710 1,016,039Housing & Neighborhood DevelopLeading the Way 4,979,000 5,000,000 5,000,000 5,000,000 0
Neighborhood Development 3,410,790 3,332,856 3,741,073 3,883,666 142,593Tota l 8,389,790 8,332,856 8,741,073 8,883,666 142,593
Public Health Public Health Commission 70,000,000 69,808,000 72,902,815 66,209,076 - 6,693,739Tota l 70,000,000 69,808,000 72,902,815 66,209,076 - 6,693,739
Non- Mayoral Departments City Clerk 975,133 969,124 1,008,313 1,009,886 1,573City Council 4,458,130 4,508,925 4,676,230 4,800,230 124,000Finance Commission 219,543 174,346 185,460 188,735 3,274Licensing Board 649,023 599,031 720,079 687,357 - 32,723
Tota l 6,301,828 6,251,426 6,590,083 6,686,207 96,124Gra nd Tota l 1,891,956,992 1,907,403,106 1,919,452,969 1,940,449,195 20,996,226
General Fund Appropriations by Cabinet
3 0 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
1/1/10 1/1/11 1/1/12 1/1/13 ProjectedFTE FTE FTE Projected Inc/(Dec)
Office of the Mayor Law Department 44.0 46.0 48.0 48.0 - Mayor's Off ice 20.0 23.0 24.0 24.0 - Neighborhood Services 22.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 - Off ice of Emergency Preparedness 2.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 - Public Information 17.6 17.6 17.1 19.1 2.0
Total 105.6 108.6 111.1 113.1 2.0 Advocacy & Strategic Investment Boston Residents Job Policy 7.0 6.0 7.0 7.0 -
Intergovernmental Relations 8.7 8.7 9.8 9.8 - Off ice of New Bostonians 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 - Small/Local Business 7.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 -
Total 27.7 27.7 29.8 29.8 - Administration & Finance Off ice of Administration & Finance 7.0 7.0 6.0 7.0 1.0
Assessing Department 86.0 85.0 84.0 85.0 1.0 Auditing Department 32.0 30.0 29.0 32.0 3.0 Budget Management 23.9 23.1 23.1 23.1 - Graphic Arts 23.0 - - - - Human Resources 46.6 44.1 47.1 47.1 - Labor Relations 11.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 - Library Department 396.6 382.8 376.1 378.1 2.0 Purchasing Division 18.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 - Registry Division 18.0 18.0 19.0 19.0 - Treasury Department 53.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 -
Total 715.1 672.0 666.3 673.3 7.0 Chief Information Officer Dept of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) 108.0 109.0 112.0 121.0 9.0
Total 108.0 109.0 112.0 121.0 9.0 Public Safety Fire Department 1,560.2 1,572.2 1,571.2 1,627.0 55.8
Police Department 2,870.3 2,903.7 2,875.1 2,910.0 34.9 Total 4,430.5 4,475.9 4,446.3 4,537.0 90.7
Education School Department 8,210.5 8,047.2 8,052.3 8,116.3 64.0 Total 8,210.5 8,047.2 8,052.3 8,116.3 64.0
Public Property Arts, Tourism & Special Events 18.0 17.0 17.0 20.0 3.0 Consumer Affairs & Licensing 6.6 6.6 6.8 6.8 - Department of Voter Mobilization 25.2 23.0 23.0 23.0 - Parks and Recreation 209.0 198.0 200.0 201.0 1.0 Property & Construction Mgmt. 213.6 203.0 199.0 208.0 9.0
Total 472.4 447.6 445.8 458.8 13.0 Public Works & Transportation Chief of Public Works & Transportation 16.0 15.0 16.0 16.0 -
Central Fleet Management 43.0 42.0 38.0 38.0 - Public Works Department 335.0 317.0 312.0 312.0 - Transportation 369.9 349.9 352.9 349.9 (3.0)
Total 763.9 723.9 718.9 715.9 (3.0) Environment & Energy Environment 18.0 17.0 17.0 22.0 5.0
Inspectional Services 225.0 221.0 212.0 215.0 3.0 Total 243.0 238.0 229.0 237.0 8.0
Human Services Boston Center for Youth & Families 374.7 350.6 338.0 345.8 7.8 Civil Rights 9.0 7.0 4.0 4.0 - Commission for Persons w ith Disabilities - - 7.0 7.0 - Elderly Commission 64.0 59.0 63.0 63.0 - Emergency Shelter 4.0 - - - - Veterans Services 15.2 12.2 10.2 12.2 2.0 Women's Commission 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 - Youth Fund 4.0 8.0 7.0 7.0 -
Total 472.9 438.8 431.2 441.0 9.8 Neighborhood Development Neighborhood Development 32.9 39.5 29.3 28.5 (0.8)
Total 32.9 39.5 29.3 28.5 (0.8)
Public Health Public Health Commission 797.4 794.2 803.3 820.3 17.0
Total 797.4 794.2 803.3 820.3 17.0 Non-Mayoral City Clerk 13.4 13.4 13.0 14.0 1.0
City Council 82.7 81.6 73.9 81.4 7.5 Finance Commission 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 - Licensing Board 8.6 6.6 7.6 7.6 -
Total 107.7 104.6 97.5 106.0 8.5 Grand Total 16,487.6 16,227.0 16,172.8 16,398.0 225.2
Personnel Summary
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 3 1
PERSONNEL CHANGES The Personnel Summary table shows a four-year
comparison of city funded full-time equivalent (FTE)
positions. (This includes both permanent and
emergency employees.) The projected FTE numbers
used for FY13 are estimates based on the personnel
funding levels contained in the FY13 budgets.
FY11- FY12 FTE Changes The total net decrease in FTEs from January 1, 2011 to
January 1, 2012 was 54.2. The City’s Position Review
Committee continued to review all proposed job
postings for vacant positions. All hiring was
scrutinized and only critical positions were approved.
After several years of decreases the School
Department remained fairly level with an overall
increase of 5.1 FTEs. There was a decline in regular
education teachers related to school closings and
mergers as well as efforts to manage class size.
Additional areas that saw reductions in FTEs were
school level administration and other non-academic
support positions. However, the number of bilingual
teachers increased as the School Department
continued to make significant investments in
programs for English Language Learners. The
department also added new specialists to support
students with autism.
Staffing levels in the Public Safety cabinet decreased
by 29.6 FTEs. The Fire Department had little year to
year change with the addition of a new class in
November. The Police Department was down 28.6
FTEs on January 1st because its new class came on
later that month.
The Environment & Energy Cabinet decreased by 9
FTEs. This reduction was due to vacancies in the
Inspectional Services Department.
The Human Services Cabinet’s FTEs declined by 7.6.
This change is mainly a result of Boston Centers for
Youth and Families (BCYF) closing or consolidating
sites with some staff redeployed and vacant positions
eliminated. The Commission for Persons with
Disabilities, formerly a program of Civil Rights,
became a department; 4 positions were transferred
and 3 were added.
The Department of Neighborhood Development
decreased by 10.2 FTEs. The department has left
vacancies unfilled because some positions are partially
funded by federal funding, which is declining.
The Public Health Commission’s city-funded staffing
increased by 9.1 FTEs primarily as a result of taking
in-house many administrative services, previously
provided by Boston Medical Center (BMC), in order to
achieve greater efficiencies.
FY12-FY13 Projected FTE Changes The City projects that the net increase in FTE levels
will be 225.2 from January 1, 2012 to January 1, 2013.
Staffing in the Mayor’s Office Cabinet is projected to
remain constant between January 1, 2012 and January
1, 2013 except for the Office of Public Information.
The department is expected to fill currently vacant
call taker positions in the 24 hour hotline service. The
Advocacy & Strategic Investment Cabinet will also
remain stable.
The Administration & Finance (A & F) Cabinet is
projected to see a staffing increase of 7. One vacancy
will be filled in the A & F Office to support the
citywide effort to revamp the school assignment
process. The Auditing Department will fill vacant
positions as it gears up to provide centralized
Accounts Payable services – a business process change
that will come as a result of a major upgrade to the
city’s financial system.
The projected increase in staffing in the Chief
Information Officer Cabinet/Department of Innovation
Technology (DoIT) is the result of filling vacancies
and adding positions to reduce the City’s reliance on
outside consultants.
Historically, the number of Public Safety employees on
the payroll as of January 1 of any year has fluctuated
with the timing of classes and the timing of
retirements. The Fire Department is projected to
increase by 55.8 FTEs assuming normal attrition and
the hiring of new classes this June and in December.
The timing of the December class will make the
projected January 1, 2013 FTE number higher than
normal. Later that month retirements, which are
typically higher in January than other months, will
cause the number to go down again. The goal of the
department is to have enough firefighters in the
suppression force to cover the minimum manning
level of 262 and to reduce overtime. The projected
increase of 34.9 FTEs in the Police Department is also
based on normal attrition as well as a new police class
in late fall of 2012. As in the case of the Fire
Department, the timing of the fall class will also cause
the January 1, 2013 number to be higher than usual
before retirements begin to bring the number back
3 2 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
down again. It should be noted that the Police
Department is committed to keeping a sworn strength
number that is consistent with the number in place
when the City was receiving funding from the COPS
three year hiring grant. This commitment must be
met in the fourth year when the funding is no longer
available. The department will also add a Director of
Neighborhood Outreach who will be responsible for
daily oversight and coordination of all community
outreach efforts including the formation of new crime
watch groups.
From FY12 to FY13 the School Department is
projecting a net increase of 64 FTEs. This includes
increases in the areas of bilingual education, as the
School Department continues its commitment to
investing in quality programs for English Language
Learners and in special education support. There will
also be an increase in the number of school nurses.
The Public Property Cabinet is projected to have an
increase of 13 FTEs. The majority of the increase is in
the Capital Construction unit of the Property &
Construction Management Department. The City’s
current capital plan, including the large project at
Dudley, will require more project management in
order to keep projects on schedule. A tree climber will
be added to the Parks Department to enable the
department to field two full tree crews daily to keep
up with customer service requests for tree work. The
Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events will add 3
positions formerly funded through external resources
in the Fund for Boston Neighborhoods.
Staffing in the Public Works & Transportation Cabinet
is projected to decrease by 3 FTEs based on current
levels of staffing. The FTE count in the Environment
& Energy cabinet is expected to increase by 8 based on
current staffing in the Inspectional Services
Department and the addition of 5 new operating
budget positions in the Environment Department.
Two of the new positions in the Environment
Department staff the Energy Management Office and
are currently being funded through an ARRA –EECBG
grant. As this funding expires the two positions will
move to the operating budget to continue the work of
the Office. A third contract position currently being
funded through the grant will move to the operating
budget to continue working as the City’s Outreach
Manager for the Renew Boston energy program.
The Mayor’s Food Policy Council, which is a unit
within the Environment Department, currently has a
Director who is funded through external resources. In
FY13, the Director will move to the operating budget
and a second position will be added.
The Human Services Cabinet is expected to have an
increase of 9.8 FTEs. Boston Centers for Youth and
Families (BCYF), after a two-year reorganization, is
filling vacancies; the projected increase is based on
current staffing levels. The Veterans Department, now
under new leadership, also went through a re-
organization and has filled 2 vacancies subsequent to
January 1, 2012. All other departments in the cabinet
are expected to have level staffing.
Staffing at the Public Health Commission (PHC) is
expected to increase by 17. Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) will have a new EMT class in the fall
or early winter to cover attrition. The Commission will
also add 3 new positions to implement the “Boston
Moves for Health” program.
The FTE counts in the Housing & Neighborhood
Development cabinet are expected to remain level
although there will be a loss in grant funded positions.
The Non-Mayoral group of departments will increase
from January 1, 2012 to January 1, 2013 based on
current and historical staffing levels. (It should be
noted that January 1, 2012 was a low point for the City
Council; vacancies have since been filled.)
EXTERNAL FUNDS The City’s $2.47 billion operating budget is
supplemented by approximately $316.8 million in
external funds. These funds consist mainly of federal,
state and private funding earmarked for specific
purposes. Education, housing, economic development,
public safety and public health are some of the largest
areas for which these funds are targeted.
Twenty-four departments and agencies expect to
receive federal, state or other forms of external
funding in FY13. Since there are hundreds of grants
and many of them are small, the focus here is on the
largest grants. Nearly 94% of the City’s external funds
are found in seven of those twenty-four departments.
These seven departments are the School Department,
Neighborhood Development, Public Health
Commission, Office of Emergency Management, Police
Department, Library Department and the Parks and
Recreation Department. Other departments that also
have significant grant funding are the Elderly
Commission and the Transportation Department.
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 3 3
Descriptions and amounts for grants by department
can be found in Volumes II and III.
Federal and State Grants Federal grants provide funding for key City priorities.
In February of 2009, President Barack Obama signed
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
– a significant investment nationwide in areas
including education, public safety, housing, clean
energy and infrastructure. The City of Boston
receives ARRA funds in three ways: direct
appropriation from the federal government,
competitive grants from the federal government and
competitive grants from the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. ARRA funds have been provided for
transportation projects such as Dorchester Avenue,
traffic signal and traffic management upgrades and a
$21 million citywide paving program all of which are
managed by the Massachusetts Department of
Transportation.
The Department of Neighborhood Development
received ARRA funds for increased levels of
Community Development Block Grants, Homeless
Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Grants and
Neighborhood Stabilization Grants. The Police
Department received an ARRA- Byrne Justice
Assistance Grant to retain fifty police officers
scheduled for layoff and was also successful in
securing a competitive ARRA Community Oriented
Policing Services (COPS) hiring grant totaling more
than $11.8 million over three years to retain fifty
police officers who were scheduled to be laid off in
October 2009.
The School Department had received increased ARRA
allocations for Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA) and Title I grants as well as allocations of
ARRA funding from the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts State Stabilization grant in lieu of state
dollars that would have been allocated through
Chapter 70, traditional state aid for education. In
FY12 the School Department will exhaust its ARRA
funding for Title I and IDEA but will continue to
receive standard allocations from those two sources in
FY13.
The School Department will exhaust its ARRA –
Education Jobs Program funding in FY12, however,
ARRA-Race to the Top, ARRA School Improvements at
Burke High School and UP Academy and the ARRA-
Title I School Improvement grant will continue into
FY13.
The City continues to receive Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funding
for a variety of neighborhood development activities
but at reduced funding levels. Other sources of
federal funding received by the City are used to
address diverse needs and/or creative approaches
such as homeland security, community policing and
housing support for the homeless. The Environment
Department received an ARRA-Energy Efficiency
Block Grant that will end in FY13. The ARRA- Solar
Market Transformation Grant will expire in FY12.
Descriptions of the largest federal and state supported
programs in the departments managing the bulk of the
City’s external fund resources are given below.
School Department
The School Department’s FY13 general fund budget of
$857.8 million is supplemented with approximately
$143 million in external funds, largely consisting of
grants made directly to the Boston Public Schools
from state and federal government entities. There are
three main categories of external funding: formula
grants, competitive grants, and reimbursement grants.
Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the
school lunch reimbursement program, and resources
allocated in support of the Individuals with
FY11 FY12 FY13Expenditure Estimated Estimated
Boston Public Schools 170,324,654 162,215,921 142,973,021Neighborhood Development 64,843,669 75,429,829 70,000,359Public Health Commission 51,911,629 47,902,217 43,507,006Emergency Management 8,291,611 12,966,878 14,770,643Police Department 10,795,904 16,068,175 11,134,355Library Department 7,805,960 6,516,456 8,202,933Parks & Recreation Department 6,688,658 6,247,858 8,027,890Other 21,469,211 32,247,185 18,140,580
342,131,296 359,594,520 316,756,786
External Funds
3 4 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are the three
largest sources of external funding and comprise the
bulk of federal support. The Title I and IDEA grant
programs were expanded with the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Other significant
sources of external funding include Title II (teacher
quality grant), the special education “circuit breaker”
reimbursement, and the Community Partnership
grant.
Title I - This federal program supplements education
in schools with significant populations of low-income
students. This key source of funding for the Boston
Public Schools makes up a large portion of the federal
formula grant funding received. The School
Department estimates spending levels for Title I to be
$40.8 million in FY12 and reduced to $36.3 million in
FY13. Title I schools will also have access to the ARRA
Title I School Improvement grant that targets
improvements and corrective action for the lowest
performing schools called turnaround schools. This
program expects to spend $7.5 million in FY12 and
FY13.
School Lunch - The School Lunch program,
administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
reimburses local school districts on a per-meal basis
for the costs of breakfast and lunch for low-income
students. The School Department expects to receive
$27.4 million in reimbursements in FY12 and $27.9
million in FY13.
Title II Teacher Quality – The School Department
expects to spend $7.1 million in FY12 and $5.5 million
in FY13 from this federal formula grant program to
improve teaching and learning.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (SPED-
IDEA) - This federal formula grant supports special
education programs. The amount budgeted by the
School Department in both FY12 and FY13 is $19.1
million.
ARRA–Race to the Top – This competitive grant was
created to reward states and school districts that
create conditions for education innovation and reform.
ARRA – Race to the Top funding seeks to impact
teacher effectiveness, school curriculum and culture
and to target improvements to the lowest achieving
schools while readying students for college and the
workplace. The School Department expects to spend
$9.6 million in FY12 and $16.5 million in FY13.
Education Jobs Funding – This funding provided
through federal legislation approved by the President
in August 2010 was distributed to cities and towns by
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts using the same
formula it uses for Chapter 70 state aid. These funds
are being used to support School Department staff.
The department expects to spend $10.2 million in
FY12. Funding has not been reauthorized for FY13.
Community Partnerships for Children - The
Community Partnership Program is a state program
that creates comprehensive, high-quality programs for
preschool-aged children in public preschools, Head
Start centers, private day care centers and family-
based day care centers. The amount budgeted by the
School Department, which serves as the fiscal agent
for this program, is $1.3 million for both FY12 and
FY13.
Title III Bilingual Language Acquisition Program –
This Federal grant provides for investments in English
language learners (ELLs), including summer learning
academies for ELLs, professional development for
teachers and coaches and family liaisons. The
department expects to spend $2.9 million in FY12 and
FY13.
Quality Full-Day Kindergarten – This grant from the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts is used for extended
time at the Early Learning Centers (ELCs) and Early
Education Centers (EECs). The department expects
to spend $2.1 million in FY12 and FY13.
Summer Food Program – This Federal grant provides
support to feed children in summer school and
summer activities held in schools, community centers
and community – based organizations. The
department expects to spend $1.7 million in FY12 and
FY13.
21st Century Community Learning –This Federal grant
provides extended learning opportunities for at risk
students. The department expects to spend $1.5
million in FY12 and FY13.
Expanded Learning Time – This grant from the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts provides funding for
extended teaching time at the Edwards Middle School
and Boston Arts Academy. The department expects to
spend $2.7 million in FY12 and $1.2 million FY13.
TILT - Turnaround with Inc Learn Time – This
Federal grant will extend the day at the McCormack
and Irving schools for the next three years. The
department expects to spend $1.1 million FY13.
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 3 5
Neighborhood Development
The External Funds budget for the Department of
Neighborhood Development (DND) is projected to
decrease by 7.2% in FY13. The decrease primarily
comes from expiring one-time grants provided by the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
including ARRA-CDBG, ARRA-Homeless Prevention
and Rapid Re-housing and ARRA Neighborhood
Stabilization, as well as a decrease in funding for
CDBG and HOME grants.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) –
CDBG is an annual entitlement grant from the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) to the City of Boston. The CDBG program
funds a variety of neighborhood development
activities. The City’s Department of Neighborhood
Development (DND), the Fair Housing Commission
and the Mayor’s Office of Jobs and Community
Services expect to spend $21.2 million in FY12 and
$19.9 million in FY13. At least 70% of CDBG funds
must be used to benefit low- and moderate-income
households. The City uses CDBG funds to produce and
preserve affordable housing, revitalize neighborhood
commercial districts, assist the renovation of non-
profit facilities, improve vacant lots, promote and
monitor fair housing activities, and assist non-profit
organizations in the operation of emergency shelters,
health care, youth and adult literacy programs. CDBG
funds cannot be used for general government services
and cannot replace funding cut from existing public
service activities. CDBG funding is also used as
security for Section 108 loans.
Section 108 Loan Project/Economic Development
Initiative - Section 108 funds are available to eligible
cities from HUD on an application basis and can only
be used for economic development projects. The City
receives and administers Section 108 funds through a
pledge of its current and future CDBG grant awards.
DND will continue its Boston Invests in Growth II
Program in FY13 with projected spending of $10
million.
Emergency Solutions Grant/HOPWA/Shelter Plus
Care/Supportive Housing - The City expects to spend
$21.8 million from these four HUD grants in FY12 and
another $23.1 million in FY13. The Emergency
Solutions Grant, formerly known as the Emergency
Shelter Grant, and the Housing Opportunities for
Persons With AIDS Grant (HOPWA) are entitlement
grants that become available each July. The
Emergency Solutions Grant supports the development
and operation of emergency shelters for the homeless
and the HOPWA program provides housing, rental
assistance and support services for persons with AIDS.
The Shelter Plus Care program provides rental
assistance for homeless people with disabilities,
primarily those with serious mental illness or chronic
problems with alcohol and/or drugs. Other federal,
state or local sources provide support services that
must match the value of the rental assistance. The
Supportive Housing Program provides service,
operating, and/or capital funds for a broad range of
housing and social service projects. The program
requires that applicants match the amount of
supportive housing acquisition and development funds
requested with an equal amount of funding from other
sources. Shelter Plus Care and Supportive Housing
are both competitive grants with FY13 awards
becoming available in the fall.
HOME Investment Partnership - The HOME
Partnership Program is an entitlement grant from
HUD to support the development of affordable
housing. The City estimates spending $9.3 million in
FY12 and $6.2 million in FY13. Eligible activities
include new construction or rehabilitation of housing,
tenant-based rental assistance for up to two years, and
assistance to first-time homebuyers. All HOME funds
must be used to benefit low and moderate-income
households. Fifteen percent of HOME funds are set
aside for projects sponsored by Community Housing
Development Organizations. Up to five percent may be
set aside for operating costs for Community Housing
Development Organizations.
Neighborhood Stabilization Program Two (NSP2) –
NSP2 is the second round of funding made available
through a competitive application process from HUD
as authorized by the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009. DND received a grant award
of $13.6 million in mid FY10. These funds are used to
support the City’s efforts to reclaim and re-occupy
abandoned bank owned properties and turnkey
development. An estimated $6.9 million will be
expended in FY12 and an estimated $1.8 million will
be expended in FY13.
Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant and
Community Planning Challenge Grant – In FY12 DND
was awarded two new competitive grants from the US
Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD). The Choice Neighborhoods Implementation
Grant aims to link affordable housing with quality
schools, public transportation, good jobs, and safe
streets. Specifically, funds will be used to redevelop
the Woodledge/Morrant Bay Apartments and revitalize
3 6 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
Dorchester’s Quincy Street Corridor. The City
anticipates spending $1 million on this program in
FY12 and an estimated $4 million in FY13. The
Community Planning Challenge Grant is being used for
planning, strategic land acquisition, and outreach and
engagement in order to facilitate smart growth and
transit-oriented development along the Fairmount
Commuter Rail Line. The City anticipates an
estimated $613,000 of spending on this project in
FY13.
Public Health Commission
Ryan White Care Act - This funding is intended to help
communities increase the availability of culturally and
linguistically competent primary health care and
support services, increase access for underserved
populations and improve the quality of life of those
living with HIV/AIDS and their families. In FY12,
contracts supported approximately 42 community
agencies and 95 programs in the ten county regions of
Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. The
estimated level of spending for this federally funded
program is $13.8 million for FY13.
ARRA – CPPW – The Commission is in the final year of
grant funding from the Centers for Disease Control’s
Communities Putting Prevention to Work program
under the ARRA initiative. The Obesity, Physical
Activity, and Nutrition grant provided $6.4 million over
two years to work on programs and policies to
decrease consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages,
increase active transit including a new bike share
program, improve neighborhood-based food
production and distribution, and enhance efforts to
integrate physical activity into the school day. The
Tobacco Prevention grant of $6.1 million over two
years, funded a variety of activities in the Healthy
Homes Division including work to engage youth and
community members in policy efforts to reduce youth
tobacco use and exposure and to increase the number
of available smoke free housing units. PHC has
received a non-cost extension from the CDC for these
grants ending in January 2013.
Homeless Services – External funding for the Long
Island Shelter provides services to homeless clients in
the form of shelter, food, clothing, health care, and
social services for up to 800 homeless adult men and
women on a daily basis. The Shelter also provides
training and support services to 3,815 homeless
individuals annually. Funding from the Substance
Abuse Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) provides supportive housing to chronically
homeless clients with co-occurring mental illness and
substance abuse issues. Emergency Shelter clients
receive Section 8 vouchers from the Boston Housing
Authority and community-based management services
over a 9-12 month period. Overall, projected external
funding for homeless services in the Public Health
Commission budget for FY13 totals $9.3 million.
Addictions Prevention, Treatment and Recovery
Service – A $1.5 million, 3 year grant, from SAMHSA
funds the Entre Familia: Comprehensive Family
Service Model (CFSM). Programs will provide an
intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment which
includes enhanced group, individual and case
management services for pregnant women. Through
state funding totaling $460,000 in FY13, the
Commission will support eight neighborhood-based No
Drugs Coalitions to develop strategic substance abuse
prevention plans. The Massachusetts Department of
Public Health is expected to provide $431,000 for FY13
in the support of BPHC’s HIV/AIDS Prevention
Screening.
Early Childhood Mental Health -The Commission has
leveraged $2 million in funding from the
Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human
Services and $784,588 in funding from the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health (federal
pass through from SAMHSA) to build a continuum of
family centered care and support for children with
mental health needs and their families. Other funding
from the US Department of Justice funding totaling
$1.1 million will allow the Commission to expand its
work with partners to prevent and reduce the impact
of children’s exposure to violence in homes,
communities and schools. Through collaboration of
diverse organizations and agencies, a multi-year
strategic plan will be developed to address children’s
exposures to violence.
Boston is one of eight demonstration sites for the U.S.
Attorney General’s Defending Childhood
Demonstration Initiative, a U.S. Department of Justice
initiative focused on addressing children’s exposure to
violence. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention designated the Boston Public Health
Commission as one of the agencies to lead a Violence
Intervention Prevention (VIP) Initiative through its
Boston STRYVE funding for a five year grant totaling
$1.1 million. The Boston Public Health Commission
will work closely with government and community-
based partners, as the lead agency for several
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 3 7
innovative programs designed to address youth
violence in our target neighborhoods.
Public Health Preparedness -The Commission
manages a number of critical initiatives to ensure that
the residents of the City are protected and well
prepared in the event of a major emergency. Among
these activities are those funded by federal/ state
grants totaling $1.57 million to support public
communication strategies, communicable disease
control, and the public health preparedness program.
Other state and federally funded programs support
training EMTs, hospital clinicians, and health center
workers in various medical emergency protocols and
procedures; leading collaborative citywide disaster
planning with other healthcare, public safety, and
emergency management officials; recruitment and
training of a corps of medical and non-medical
volunteers who can be mobilized as needed; and
writing, translating, and disseminating educational
materials to the City’s most vulnerable populations.
Federal funding also supports violence prevention
work in our neighborhoods and efforts to improve air
quality in homes and small businesses. The
Commission continues to receive support for the
Boston Healthy Start Initiative, a multi-year project with a budget for $2.1 million for FY13 to reduce the
rate of infant mortality among Black babies.
Office of Emergency Management
The Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management pursues
funding opportunities and manages federal homeland
security grants awarded to the Metro-Boston
Homeland Security Region (MBHSR). The Urban
Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant provides the
bulk of the funding for this office. This federal grant
serves to address the unique equipment, planning,
training and operational needs for first responders in
the MBHSR. The region encompasses the cities of
Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Quincy, Revere,
Somerville and the towns of Brookline and Winthrop.
Despite a 40% reduction in UASI funding for FFY13,
there is an estimated $11.6 million that will be
available for spending in FY13. UASI grants are
awarded based on the Federal Fiscal Year; therefore,
funding cuts will likely not impact the City until FY14.
Emergency Management received two grants provided
by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA). The ARRA Port Security Grant allows the
City’s public safety agencies to procure equipment to
protect against and respond to critical incidents
including potential acts of terrorism in the Port of
Boston. The ARRA Local Energy Assurance and
Planning (LEAP) Initiative grant of $150 thousand
supports planning for recovery from potential
disruptions to energy supply, enhanced reliability and
supports quicker restorations of outages.
In FY12 Emergency Management received a Public
Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) Grant
from the Department of Commerce and the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s Executive Office of
Public Safety and Security. The PSIC Grant Program is
a one-time grant opportunity to enhance interoperable
capabilities with respect to voice, data, and/or video
and encourage the use of innovative cost and
spectrum efficient technology solutions. There will be
an estimated $517,000 of spending in FY12 and $1.9
million in FY13.
Additionally, the office receives funding under the
Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program
(RCPGP). This federal grant is designed to enhance
regional catastrophic planning efforts, with the goal of
strengthening the Nation against risks associated with
catastrophic events. The Region includes communities
from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode
Island. Spending from RCPGP is expected to be $2.3
million in FY12 and $874,000in FY13.
Police Department
The Police Department’s grant funding on both the
federal and state level has historically focused for the
most part on community policing. The majority of the
federal grants awarded under the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) focused on hiring and
retaining police officers and civilians who would have
otherwise been laid off in 2009 and 2010.
ARRA- Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
Hiring Recovery Grant - The department successfully
secured a competitive grant totaling more than $11.8
million over three years to retain fifty police officers
who were scheduled to be laid off in October 2009.
The department expects to spend an estimated $4.3
million in FY12 and the remaining $1.1 million in
FY13. The City is responsible for the cost of retaining
the 50 officers in the fourth year.
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring
Program - The Police department will use this new
grant to increase staffing on Safe Street Teams by 15
officers and expects to spend $418 thousand in FY13.
The successful award of this new COPS grant requires
a local match that has been included in the FY13
operating budget. Safe Street Teams engage Boston
3 8 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
police officers in community problem-oriented
policing of violent crime hot spot areas.
Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) – This federal grant is
awarded by the Department of Justice for prevention,
intervention and enforcement efforts aimed at
reducing crime and violence. These funds are used to
support civilian analyst and advocacy personnel, as
well as district social workers. The department
expects to spend $1 million in FY12 and $548,000 in
FY13.
Smart Policing Grant – This federal grant is awarded
by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice
Assistance for the purpose of improving Boston’s
homicide clearance rates. The funds will be used to
develop and implement a business model for homicide
investigators, increase accountability via structure
and communication feedback loops, and increase
resources available to BPD units involved in homicide
investigations. The department expects to spend an
estimated $180,000 in FY12 and $300,000 in FY13.
Community Based Violence Prevention Demonstration
Grant – This three-year federal grant is awarded by
the Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice
Delinquency Prevention for the purpose of
implementing a coordinated strategy for the
prevention of gun violence in the Mattapan
neighborhood of Boston. The Boston Police
Department, in partnership with the Boston Public
Health Commission, Boston Center for Youth and
Families, and the Mayor’s Office of Jobs and
Community Services will work to establish a program
that focuses on the goal of reducing the number of
shootings and homicides in the Mattapan
neighborhood of Boston. New in FY13, the department
expects to spend $733,000.
Second Chance Act Adult Prisoner Reentry Initiative –
This federal grant is awarded by the Department of
Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance for the purpose
of providing a continuation of support and
enhancement of services delivered through the Boston
Reentry Initiative (BRI). Through the BRI, the Boston
Police Department in partnership with the Suffolk
County Sheriff’s Department, the Suffolk County
District Attorney’s Office, the United States Attorney’s
Office, the Massachusetts Departments of Probation,
Parole, and Revenue; Community Resources for
Justice, Youth Options Unlimited, Boston Ten Point
Coalition, Whittier Street Health Center, and
Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation
supports individualized, sustained reentry plans for
Boston’s highest-risk offenders. The department
expects to spend $866,000 in FY12 and $601,000 in
FY13.
Boston Multicultural Advocacy Support Project
(BMASP) – This federal grant is awarded by the
Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against
Women. Funds are used to support three full time
civilian advocates at police stations in Boston and five
part-time civilian advocates at the Family Justice
Center and Dorchester Court who provide culturally
and linguistically sensitive services, crisis intervention
services, referrals, and safety plans to the City’s
African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Cape Verdean,
Haitian and Vietnamese populations. The department
expects to spend $693,000 in FY12 and $321,000 in
FY13.
Shannon Community Safety Initiative – This state
grant is awarded from the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, Executive Office of Public Safety to
address gang and youth violence through the Senator
Charles E. Shannon, Jr. Community Safety Initiative.
The award has supported a number of prevention,
intervention and enforcement initiatives and activities
that focus on a comprehensive citywide strategy for
youth gang and gun violence. The department expects
to spend an estimated $1.8 million in FY12 and $1
million in FY13.
Library Department
Projected external fund spending is expected to
increase in FY13 to $8.2 million primarily related to
additional Trust Fund Income allocated by the
Trustees of the Boston Public Library. With
significant reductions to the Library for the
Commonwealth grant in the FY10 state budget and the
elimination of the Boston Regional Library System in
FY11, the Library is expected to have only $2.8 million
available in state resources for FY12 and FY13. The
three state programs that have historically supported
the Library’s budget are described below.
Library for the Commonwealth (formerly Library of
Last Recourse) - The Library for the Commonwealth
grant provides reference and research services for
individual residents of the Commonwealth at the
Boston Public Library through developing, maintaining
and preserving comprehensive collections of a
research and archival nature to supplement library
resources available throughout Massachusetts. The
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 3 9
Library maintains the personnel resources, expertise
and bibliographic skills needed to develop and provide
access to reference and research collections. Funding
for this program is approximately $2.2 million for FY12
and FY13.
Boston Regional Library System - The Boston Regional
Library System Program (BRLS) was one of six
systems that were part of a state-funded program to
provide supplemental services to libraries in the cities
of Boston, Malden and Chelsea. Due to cuts in the
FY11 budget, the Massachusetts Board of Library
Commissioners has led a process to consolidate
regional services into a single organization called the
Massachusetts Regional Library System. The BRLS,
formerly housed at the Boston Public Library, was
absorbed into this merged system in FY11. Funds for
BRLS supported enhanced reference and information
services, interlibrary loan and journal document
delivery, continuing education and staff development,
consulting on library operations and a variety of
cooperative programs. Funding for the BRLS was
eliminated in FY11.
State Aid to Libraries - This funding is provided by the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Library
Commissioners to the Trustees of the Public Library of
the City of Boston annually. The Library is required to
meet certain minimum standards of free public library
service established by the Board to be eligible to
receive the grant. The Boston Public Library expects
to receive $562,030 in both FY12 and FY13.
Parks and Recreation Department
The external funds budget for the Parks and
Recreation Department is $8 million in FY13. In FY13
there are four sources of external funds to support
parks: the Fund for Parks and Recreation, the George
W. Parkman Trust Fund, Park Floodlighting Fees and
The Ryder Cup Trust Fund.
Fund for Parks and Recreation – This trust fund
established in 1983 furthers the maintenance and
preservation of parks belonging to the City of Boston,
now or in the future, and provides recreational
programs for the City’s residents. Spending is
expected to be $4.7 million in FY12 and $5.2 million in
FY13.
George W. Parkman Trust Fund – The Parkman fund
annually provides additional funding to maintain and
improve the Parkman Parks including the Boston
Common, Public Garden, Franklin Park and the Fens.
This includes tree work, repairs to roads, turf, and
funding for maintenance employees working in these
parks. In both FY12 and FY13 spending is expected to
be $1 million.
Park Floodlighting Fees – Floodlighting fees are
charged to non-resident and resident adult member
organizations that conduct permitted night-time
activities which require the use of the floodlights at
City parks. Spending is expected to be $350,000 in
FY12 and $300,000 in FY13.
The Ryder Cup Trust Fund – The Ryder Cup/Youth
Endowment Fund was formed from the proceeds of
tickets to the 1999 Ryder Cup matches. The income
from the fund is used to support youth golf
programming and other youth recreation activities.
Spending is an estimated $25,000 in FY12 and $30,000
in FY13.
Fairview Cemetery Trust Fund – This trust fund was
appropriated by the Boston City Council in December
2011 from the general Cemetery Trust Fund
established under Chapter 13 of the Acts of 1961. $1.5
million is expected to be spent in FY13 to expand the
number of burial plots.
FY13 ALL FUNDS BUDGET
The following table consolidates the projected FY13
expenditures from the General Fund, Special Revenue
Funds (external grants for the most part) and the
Capital Fund by department. More detail on the
expenditures made from each of these funds is shown
in Volumes II and III of the City of Boston’s FY13
budget document.
Budget Document Structure The Operating Budget for FY13 and Five Year Capital
Plan for FY13-17 are presented in three volumes.
Volume I is an overview of the City’s financial position
and policy direction.
Volumes II and III, which are organized by cabinet,
present the budget detail for each department’s
operating budget and capital projects. Please refer to
the chapter on Budget Organization and Glossary in
Volume I for an illustration of the City’s organizational
chart.
The City’s budget is built at the program level for each
department, which is the basis for budget planning.
However, line item budget detail is only provided in
this budget document at the department level.
Program line item detail is available upon request.
4 0 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
In addition to program budgets, Volumes II and III
provide a mission statement, key objectives, as well as
past and promised performance levels for each
departmental program. For those departments with
capital projects, a project profile is provided for every
capital project. The project profile includes
authorization information as well as planned spending
levels.
Definitions of the terms used throughout the budget
document are presented in the glossary, which can be
found in Volume I in the chapter titled Budget
Organization and Glossary.
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 4 1
Ge ne ra l Fund Exte rna l Funds Ca pita l Tota l All FundsCa bine t De pa rtme nt Budge t Budge t Budge t Budge tMayor's Office Emergency Management 311,392 14,770,643 15,082,034
Law Department 5,884,722 5,884,722 Mayor's Office 2,199,041 89,989 2,289,030 Neighborhood Services 1,255,887 1,255,887 Public Information 1,311,130 1,311,130
Tota l 10,962,172 14,860,632 0 25,822,803Advocacy & Strategic Investment Boston Residents Job Policy 478,894 478,894
Intergovernmental Relations 1,197,632 1,197,632 Office of New Bostonians 346,841 167,500 514,341 Small/Local Business 616,134 616,134
Tota l 2,639,500 167,500 0 2,807,000Administration & Finance Office of Administration & Finance 886,337 886,337
Assessing Department 6,518,856 6,518,856 Auditing Department 2,417,373 1,095,005 3,512,378 Budget Management 2,641,827 2,641,827 Execution of Courts 3,500,000 3,500,000 Health Insurance 196,755,586 196,755,586 Human Resources 3,487,109 3,487,109 Labor Relations 1,443,982 1,443,982 Library Department 31,177,053 8,202,933 18,768,832 58,148,818 Medicare Payments 8,280,841 8,280,841 Pensions & Annuities 4,200,000 4,200,000 Purchasing Division 1,668,329 1,668,329 Registry Division 1,012,774 1,012,774 Treasury Department 3,911,663 3,911,663 Unemployment Compensation 350,000 350,000 Workers' Compensation Fund 2,200,000 2,200,000
Tota l 270,451,731 9,297,938 18,768,832 298,518,501Chief Information Officer Department of Innovation and Technology 21,749,449 2,218,631 19,500,000 43,468,079
Tota l 21,749,449 2,218,631 19,500,000 43,468,079Public Safety Fire Department 185,483,773 407,887 7,535,000 193,426,661
Police Department 278,670,777 11,134,355 3,974,918 293,780,050 Tota l 464,154,550 11,542,243 11,509,918 487,206,711
Education Boston Public Schools 857,828,589 142,973,021 43,892,096 1,044,693,706 Tota l 857,828,589 142,973,021 43,892,096 1,044,693,706
Economic Development Boston Redevelopment Authority 0 2,138,000 2,138,000 Tota l 0 0 2,138,000 2,138,000
Public Property Arts, Tourism & Special Events 1,759,761 133,320 1,893,081 Consumer Affairs & Licensing 432,631 51,300 483,931 Department of Voter Mobilization 3,398,862 3,398,862 Parks & Recreation Department 16,827,314 8,027,890 18,947,111 43,802,315 Property & Construction Mgmt. 20,225,288 178,299 36,485,575 56,889,162
Tota l 42,643,856 8,390,809 55,432,686 106,467,351Public Works & Transportation Central Fleet Management 2,055,381 2,055,381
Office of Chief of PWD & Transportation 1,384,570 1,384,570 Public Works Department 82,408,248 37,900 61,640,465 144,086,613 Snow Removal 17,843,045 17,843,045 Transportation Department 29,939,146 2,470,185 11,054,839 43,464,170
Tota l 133,630,391 2,508,085 72,695,304 208,833,780Environment & Energy Environment Department 2,077,449 1,152,970 450,000 3,680,419
Inspectional Services Dept 16,139,849 214,922 16,354,771 Tota l 18,217,298 1,367,892 450,000 20,035,190
Human Services Boston Centers for Youth & Families 22,702,295 1,152,944 8,630,606 32,485,844 Civil Rights 125,996 724,875 850,870 Commission for Persons with Disabilities 343,579 343,579 Elderly Commission 2,886,514 6,736,285 9,622,799 Veterans Services Department 5,534,052 5,534,052 Women's Commission 161,092 161,092 Youth Fund 4,639,184 1,262,657 5,901,841
Tota l 36,392,710 9,876,761 8,630,606 54,900,077Housing & Neighborhood Developme Leading the Way 5,000,000 5,000,000
Neighborhood Development 3,883,666 70,000,359 2,300,000 76,184,025 Tota l 8,883,666 70,000,359 2,300,000 81,184,025
Public Health Public Health Commission 66,209,076 43,507,006 1,768,137 111,484,219 Tota l 66,209,076 43,507,006 1,768,137 111,484,219
Non- Mayoral Departments City Clerk 1,009,886 45,910 1,055,796 City Council 4,800,230 4,800,230
Finance Commission 188,735 188,735 Licensing Board 687,357 687,357
Tota l 6,686,207 45,910 0 6,732,117Gra nd Tota l 1,940,449,195 316,756,786 237,085,579 2,494,291,560
All Funds Budgets - FY13
4 2 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
MULTI-YEAR BUDGET PLAN
Introduction While statutorily the City must maintain an annual
budget process subject to the appropriating authority
of the City Council, a two year projection provides a
useful context for current decision making and
planning purposes.
In projecting the City’s operating budget for FY14 and
FY15, the issues of health insurance cost growth and
collective bargaining continue to be critical factors.
The recent uncertainty around the nascent economic
recovery has eased somewhat making revenue
estimation less difficult. The property tax levy is
expected to grow from its base by the allowable 2.5%
and new growth in the levy is expected to inch up over
the FY13 budgeted amount. In terms of state aid,
there will continue to be risk to the City’s allocation of
aid until the economy fully recovers and even then
growth is not assured.
The projections for FY14 and FY15 are based on the
most current revenue information available. The plan
reflects the best estimates of revenues as well as the
major components of projected expenditures given
current policy and cost trends. Please note that all of
the City’s collective bargaining agreements had
expired in FY10 or shortly thereafter. The
negotiations underway for successor collective
bargaining agreements covering the fiscal years of
FY11 - FY13 and beyond have been completed for some
unions establishing a wage pattern for ongoing
negotiations. A reserve for collective bargaining has
been established for the outstanding contracts based
on the wage pattern. Any changes to the pattern will
add additional pressure to the bottom line in FY14 and
FY15.
Another area of concern that has not been fully
illustrated in the Budget Summary table is the
unfunded liability related to other post-employment
benefits. Beginning in FY08, the City was required to
implement the provisions of GASB Statement No. 45.
The statement establishes standards for the
measurement, recognition and display of Other Post-
Employment Benefits (OPEB) liabilities. The City
currently provides post-employment health care and
life insurance benefits to eligible retirees in
accordance with state law and pays its share of the
cost on a pay-as-you-go basis in the current year’s
operating budget. This method of financing greatly
understates the full obligation to provide these
benefits after retirement. Although funding OPEB is
currently not a legal requirement, the City has
established an irrevocable OPEB Liability Trust Fund
to which contributions of $135 million have been made
through appropriations approved in FY08 – FY12. An
independent actuarial valuation estimates the City’s
total unfunded OPEB obligation at June 30, 2011 at
$3.1 billion. The City faces the challenge of addressing
the funding needs of this liability while continuing to
balance all of the other costs of running a major city.
The FY13 budget authorizes another
“acknowledgement payment” of $40 million to the
City’s OPEB Liability Trust Fund; the FY14 and FY15
projections also include $40 million payments.
Revenue Trends The following chart displays the breakdown of revenue
projected for FY13 – FY15. (Figure 12.)
Major revenue trends for FY14 & FY15 include:
Property Tax Levy: The levy in each year will grow by
the allowed 2.5% increase and a projected $27.0
million and $30.0 million of new growth in FY14 and
FY15, respectively. The net property tax assumes an
overlay reserve set at 2.5%.
State Aid: State aid is projected to increase marginally
in FY14 and then increase by over $30.0 million in
FY15. This increase is due almost entirely to an
$0.0B
$0.3B
$0.5B
$0.8B
$1.0B
$1.3B
$1.5B
$1.8B
$2.0B
$2.3B
$2.5B
$2.8B
$3.0B
FY13 FY14 FY15
Figure 12
Recurring RevenueFY13 Budget, FY14 & FY15 Projected
Reserves
OtherRevenue
Fines
Excises
State Aid
Net PropertyTax
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 4 3
increase in the Charter School Tuition
Reimbursement, which will be accompanied by an
increase to the Charter School Tuition Assessment
and thus does not represent an increase in total
resources. Unrestricted General Government Aid and
Chapter 70 education aid are projected to remain level
between FY13 and FY14. A small increase in Chapter
70 education aid is projected in FY15. Other minor
state aid revenues are projected to be level as well.
Excises: Excises are expected to grow gradually in
FY14 and FY15 with growth across all major taxes
concurrent with a slowly recovering economy. No new
taxes or increases to tax rates have been assumed.
Fines: Fines are expected to increase marginally in
FY14 and FY15 due to an expected increase in
issuance of parking fines. No changes in fine rates or
enforcement have been assumed.
Other Revenue:
Interest on Investments: Interest income is expected
to increase marginally in FY14 with a slightly larger
increase projected in FY15 based on statements by
the Federal Reserve as to future action on interest
rates.
Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT): PILOT revenue
is projected to increase as tax-exempt institutions
follow a 5-year ramp up of payments (beginning in
FY12) to meet the Mayor’s PILOT taskforce goal of
paying 25% of the property tax they would pay if they
were not exempt. Increases are projected for FY14
and FY15 based on the plan.
Miscellaneous Department Revenue: Usually
projected from historical trends and economic
assumptions, these revenues are expected to
increase only slightly after the expiration of certain
temporary revenues in FY13.
Licenses and Permits: Building permits are projected
to gain with a recovering economy and historically
low interest rates.
Budgetary Fund Balance: In FY13, the City is not
using an allocation of reserves to support funding for
OPEB liabilities, but instead is using recurring
revenues. For FY14 and FY15, the use of Budgetary
Fund Balance for OPEB expenses is projected to be
$40 million in each year.
These estimates are based on conservative revenue
assumptions that the local economy will stabilize at a
reasonable level of growth in the 24 to 36 months from
the beginning of FY13 to the ends of FY14 and FY15.
Expenditure Trends The following chart displays the allocation of
expenditures projected for FY13-FY15. (Figure 13.)
It is important to note that the multi-year expenditure
projections were developed with the assumption that
financial support for achieving the City’s goals of
quality education for all, safe streets, shared economic
recovery, and healthy, green neighborhoods will
continue. Early recognition of possible FY14 and
FY15 shortfalls, caused by carrying forward the costs
of current operations, allows the City’s administration
time to make the necessary adjustments and policy
decisions to get back to a balanced budget that
continues to support these goals.
Inflationary increases have been estimated in FY14
and FY15 for certain centrally budgeted expenditures
such as health insurance, Medicare and snow removal
and within departmental budgets for residential trash
collection, energy and equipment replacement. At the
School Department, estimated inflationary increases
for contracted educational and student transportation
services along with increased costs to serve special
education students will require significant increases
in FY14 and FY15. Of particular concern at the School
Department is the need to address the student
assignment process and its associated bus routing
costs prior to the expiration of the current
transportation contract at the end of FY13. New
requirements and increased demand for special
education services in the areas of early childhood and
autism are also creating significant expenditure
pressure.
$0.0B
$0.3B
$0.5B
$0.8B
$1.0B
$1.3B
$1.5B
$1.8B
$2.0B
$2.3B
$2.5B
$2.8B
$3.0B
FY13 FY14 FY15
Figure 13
ExpendituresFY13 Budget, FY14 & FY15 Projected
Other
PHC
Pensions
Debt Serv
State Asess
School Dept
City Depts
4 4 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
Citywide the cumulative growth in the reserve for
collective bargaining coupled with scheduled
departmental salary step increases will result in
increased personnel costs for FY14 and FY15. As
union negotiations move forward, it will be important
to quantify the impact of any material changes to the
collective bargaining wage pattern we have included
in these forecasts so that policy options and tradeoffs
can be presented to accommodate those impacts.
All of the factors referred to above are estimated to
increase total appropriations by $113.8 million or 5.7%
in FY14 and cumulatively increase appropriations by
$201.6 million or 10% in FY15.
Fixed Costs: In FY14, fixed costs are expected to
increase by $45.2 million or 10% and cumulatively
increase by $106.6 million or 23.5% in FY15. These
increases can be attributed to several factors
including; the continued expansion of Charter Schools
and the resulting increase in the tuition assessment;
an increase in debt due to the Dudley Square project;
and increasing pension costs. It should be noted that
when the pension schedule is updated for FY14 the
amount shown here will change.
Under these revenue and expenditure trend
assumptions, the FY14 budget is currently projected to
have a budget shortfall of approximately $28.4 million
and the FY15 budget is currently projected to have a
$61.6 million shortfall. For the most part, the
projections are based on current operations and any
known changes that are anticipated in FY14. As the
FY14 budget process goes forward and projections are
further refined, the City will be looking at ways to
operate more efficiently within the confines of
projected revenues. The City will be watching external
funding sources very closely prioritizing service areas
and reviewing policy decisions and options that may
result from external funding losses. Boston Public
Schools and the Department of Neighborhood
Development are two departments where federal
external funds play a crucial role in allowing them to
provide essential services. In the event of further
grant losses in those departments, major policy
decisions and/or tradeoffs will have to be made to
continue to provide those services.
Current year hiring must continue to be scrutinized
and controlled as the bulk of the projected increase in
appropriations is employee-related. As noted
previously, working in partnership with our unions,
progress has been made in the area of health
insurance. Despite this work and the positive impact it
had on FY13, premiums are expected to increase
substantially in FY14 and FY15 - although the base is
now lower than it would have been, “saving” the City a
significant amount. The City will continue to look at
ways to mitigate the impacts of annual increases in
the cost to provide health insurance to its employees
and retirees. A decision will need to be made on the
level of budgetary fund balance that may be utilized
prudently. The City’s policy regarding the use of its
fund balance has been to limit the use of this source of
revenue to offset certain fixed costs such as pension
contributions and related post-retirement health
benefits and/or to fund extraordinary and non-
recurring events as determined and certified by the
City Auditor. The projections shown here assume that
budgetary fund balance will be used to support the
OPEB appropriations for FY14 and FY15.
Planning a Balanced Budget Preparing a multi-year planning horizon is useful
because it provides time to make adjustments to
relieve the cost pressures on certain services. It also
promotes cost-saving or new programming alternatives
to improve the financial position projected in the out
years, and helps us to monitor changes in assumptions
as new needs or innovations present themselves.
Much of the City’s budget remains fairly stable during
the year, but variances of as little as 1% overall could
add up to a $25 million problem in the bottom line.
Common areas of variance are snow removal, with
year-to-year swings of millions of dollars; legal
settlements, for which the City attempts to reserve for
but may need to absorb on a pay-as-you-go basis;
public safety overtime, particularly if a significant
event occurs (acts of terrorism, natural disasters or
major public events, for example), and outside
funding sources for essential needs that may suddenly
be eliminated.
It is important to note that the City’s fiscal controls
are effective in reducing the chance for an
unmanageable deficit. Managing position vacancies
through a committee consisting of staff from the Office
of Human Resources, the Office of Budget
Management and the Office of Administration and
Finance ensures that the hiring of personnel is
justified and fits within the City’s fiscal parameters.
In addition, the City’s financial and human resources
information system (BAIS) provides levels of
systematic controls that can be used to project and
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 4 5
plan for personnel funding requirements. Similar
BAIS systematic controls are in place to control non-
personnel expenditures. (These non-personnel
spending controls were used in FY09 to mitigate the
impacts of mid-year State Aid reductions. At that
time, the City was able to restrict access to any
discretionary expenditure accounts and reduce other
spending accounts centrally.)
Conclusion This multi-year overview is provided as a guide to
understand the impacts of the decisions presented in
the budget, and to provide a framework for addressing
future challenges and initiatives. Although it is not
statutorily required, it is a useful tool in long-range
planning and policy analysis.
From a budget planning and management standpoint,
the parameters summarized here are being built
through an interactive forecast model. This approach
allows for the development of multi-year scenarios
based on various assumptions for City operations set
within the financial constraints of the City’s revenue
and fixed cost budgets.
4 6 S u m m a r y B u d g e t
FY13 FY14 FY15Adopted Forecast Forecast
REVENUESProperty Tax 1,675.10 1,741.98 1,815.53 Overlay Reserve (40.86) (42.49) (44.28) Excises 145.23 153.93 159.23 Fines 65.14 65.32 66.15 Interest On Investments 1.00 1.25 2.25 Payments in Lieu of Taxes 42.84 45.93 49.29 Urban Redev Chapter 121A 61.20 63.10 64.60 Department Revenue 52.59 54.69 55.18 Licenses & Permits 39.48 43.93 44.93 Penalties & Interest 8.81 8.41 8.41 Available Funds 15.00 17.98 17.95 State Aid 401.49 403.53 435.36
Total Recurring Revenue 2,467.01 2,557.56 2,674.57
Approp. Fund Balance 0.00 40.00 40.00Approp. Surplus Property Fund 0.00 0.00 0.00
Total Revenues 2,467.01 2,597.56 2,714.57
EXPENDITURESCity Departments 1,019.09 1,035.75 1,060.45 Public Health 66.21 67.07 68.71 School Department 857.83 921.00 946.15 Reserve for Collective Bargaining 30.12 63.20 99.57 OPEB 40.00 40.00 40.00
Total Appropriations 2,013.25 2,127.03 2,214.88
Pensions 136.98 147.35 157.39 Debt Service 137.55 156.27 167.73 State Assessments 174.58 191.41 231.37 Suffolk County Sheriff Dept 3.92 3.92 3.92 Reserve 0.73 - -
Total Fixed Costs 453.76 498.95 560.41
Total Expenditures 2,467.01 2,625.97 2,775.29
Surplus (Deficit) - (28.41) (60.72)
CITY OF BOSTONBUDGET SUMMARY
(Dollars in Millions)
Numbers may not add due to rounding
S u m m a r y B u d g e t 4 7
Technical Note
The City of Boston’s combined FY13 Budget and FY13-
FY17 Capital Plan was published using Microsoft
Word. Graphics were generated using Microsoft Excel.
Hyperion System 9 Planning and Scorecard and
Microsoft Access were used for data management and
analysis.
All production was done within the Office of Budget
Management. Technical development and support
was provided by Paul D. Parisi.
4 8 S u m m a r y B u d g e t